Divergent
by kimmyluvschu
Summary: No one asks to be born with or without a quirk. It's a luck of the draw, only what side is really the lucky one here? I never asked for my quirk. I wanted to live a comfortable and normal life, but I'm unable to due to the nature of my quirk. I have the ability to save thousands of lives and yet I'm afraid of the monster I truly am.
1. Chapter 1

"I'm home…," I softly called out to an empty house.

 _He must not be home yet…_

I slipped off my shoes in the walkway and made my way upstairs. I put my bag on my desk and shuffled through the envelopes my uncle left before he left for work this morning.

They were all from Hero Academies hoping to meet with me over applying to their school for the next term.

I sighed, bringing the envelopes down to the kitchen so I could start on dinner.

After I got the stew and rice cooking in their respective places I proceeded to open the invitations I was given.

"Isamu…Shiketsu…Ketsubutsu… Huh?"

 _He didn't-_

"I'm home," a voice chimed through the house as the front door opened.

"W-Welcome home!" I called out as I began to set the table.

"Ah, they are being quite persistent," my uncle said as he looked through the invitations I had received.

I sat across from him and silently ate my dinner.

My uncle was quite odd looking, but that was because of his quirk. Actually, he isn't human but an animal that was able to gain a quirk that allowed him to live as a human.

Of course he still looked as he was born—an animal that looks like a bear, a mouse, and a dog all in one.

"Haruka," he said, pulling out a large yellow envelope. "I don't want U.A. to be overlooked."

 _Isn't it already decided that I'm going there…?_

"I think I want to apply to Ketsubutsu Academy…," I mumbled as my uncle spat out his food in shock.

I collapsed on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. My uncle lectured me during dinner about the differences in teaching quality between Ketsubutsu and U.A., but that's not what I was getting at. He knows what I was implying. He knows how one-sided this decision was.

 _I don't want to be a hero…_

My name is Asano Haruka and this is the story of how I escaped my fate and became one of the greatest heroes in the world.


	2. Chapter 2

I never wanted to go to a Hero Academy, but that's not an easy decision to make then your guardian is the principle of U.A. High.

"We should all study for the entrance exams together!" a classmate of mine announced to my group. "We're all aiming for Fukuoka High, right?"

"Speak for yourself you Quirkless Bitch," a guy muttered in our group to which the girl punched him in the face.

"Not everyone can be as _special_ as you," the girl muttered darkly, putting an emphasis on the word 'special' which caused everyone to laugh.

People with quirks and those without quirks get along well for the most part at my school. There are a few quirkless people who get bullied from time to time, but it's unavoidable. At least our school wasn't as extreme with bullying as others.

"Haru, why aren't you applying for a Hero Program?" one of the guys in my group asked me as he took the practice test book for Fukuoka High away from me.

"…I am…," I quietly said as all eyes landed on me.

Before I could continue a girl cut me off, "Haru-chan is obviously going to come with us to Fukuoka! She is too sweet and delicate for those entitled quirkful assholes!"

It wasn't a secret that my uncle was the principle of U.A. Academy. It also wasn't a secret among my classmates that I preferred to get a general education rather than a heroic one. Who could blame me? I didn't act like a hero, but my quirk says otherwise.

At times I get bullied myself by both people with quirks and without. It wouldn't be hard for me to get into a Hero Academy, and that's what some people hated about me. I would rather be quirkless, but that ticked off some who were quirkless.

As the months went by I went to cram school classes for both U.A. and Fukuoka; the latter behind my uncle's back.

He didn't support my aspiration to not be a hero. He gave me every possible lecture and talk he could muster to how me becoming a hero was what was best for me. I've heard it all.

I haven't brought up Fukuoka High ever since we had a fight about it a few months ago. That was one of the few times I've ever raised my voice at my uncle, but that courage would never last long against him.

It felt useless at this point in time to continue to rebel against his wishes when it would be to no avail, but I needed to hold into the fantasy that I could live a normal life.

The entrance exam for Fukuoka was to be held two weeks before U.A.'s meaning my admission results to Fukuoka would come before my next exam.

"Good luck, Haru-chan," my friends said to me as we all entered the testing area for Fukuoka.

"Good luck…," I responded.

I was happy when I got my acceptance letter to Fukuoka. No, that's an understatement. I was living my dream and desperately trying to hold onto it for as long as I could.


	3. Chapter 3

**Haru's POV-**

"Asano, you're heading to the infirmary again?" my classmate, Shinso Hitoshi, asked.

Shinso sits beside me in class and has messy purple hair with matching baggy eyes. He was quite tall and intimidating when I first met him on the day of the entrance exam, but he has his moments. After all, he just wants to be seen as a hero and not a villain. No one could blame him since his quirk was brainwashing—a quirk with negative connotations.

"It's…quieter there…," I replied as I grabbed my bento and left the room.

It's about time I described myself properly. I had brown hair that flowed down to my mid-back with bangs swept off to the side. My eyes were a gentle golden hue. With the gray U.A. uniform, I wore a long red tie tucked into my blazer, black socks that went below my knees, and brown combat boots.

I was temporarily placed in the Department of General Education, not that I was complaining. The field test portion of the exam wasn't exactly the best way to showcase my abilities. In fact, I'm probably in this school because of my nearly perfect score on the written exam and my uncle's influence.

"Asano-chan, back again?"

I easily got away with spending my time with Recovery Girl rather than being in class since I was learning from her. This meant that I got to see a lot of students with minor injuries from combat training.

Things had finally quieted down in the infirmary as we sent away the last of our patients: a boy with a scraped knee.

It's strange how this room can go from bustling to desolate in an instant. I was advised to treasure these moments of peace while I still could because I might not remember what it was like when there is disorder about.

I always took advice like that with a grain of salt. I was too young to truly understand the little things in life that made up the whole of experience.

"S-Sensei! His arms!" I shouted as the medical robots came in with a green-haired boy on a gurney.

 _What was he doing to get this injured?!_

"Not again…," Recovery girl mumbled as I examined one of his arms.

"It's broken!"

"Stay calm. You can't help if you're panicking like that, Asano-chan."

 _How can you stay so calm when he has two broken arms?_

I was only in the way so I took a step back and assisted in handing Recovery Girl any needed materials.

"Asano-chan, I'm finished treating him as much as I can. Can you set the cast?"

"Y-Yes!" I gathered the materials I would need as Recovery Girl stepped outside.

I couldn't help but observe the boy's features as I worked on his arm. He had very messy green hair and freckles on his cheeks. He looks rather plain, but also unique. Judging by the outfit he was in he wasn't in the General Education Department or the Management Department.

 _Could he be in the Support Department? Ah, maybe he's in the Hero Department._

The latter of my thoughts made the most sense since he didn't seem to have any sort of gadgets on him. His costume was more on the simpler side than the ones I've seen other students wear. It was a shame it got messed up in whatever he was doing.

 _Done!_

I looked over to his other arm. I needed to set that arm as well, but it seemed rather unfair to lose function of both arms even if it was just for the night.

 _Maybe I could…_

I peeked around the curtain to see that we were the only two people here. I made my way over to the other side of the bed and carefully picked up his free arm.

It's been a long time since I've used my quirk on humans. It's not that I couldn't use it on them, but more so that I was afraid to. Of what? I can't say, but what I can say is that in this present moment my fears were nonexistent.

 _He doesn't have enough stamina to spare right now…but…_

I closed my eyes and felt the presence of all the elements around us in the air as well as in the plants we raised in the infirmary.

 _Those will do._

I opened my eyes as I worked on his arm. A light that only I could see was being transferred from one of the nearby succulents to his arm. I stroked down the length of his arm with both of my hands, spreading out a white light in the process.

I stepped back as the light settled down and Recovery Girl came back into the room with a strange blond man in a red suit that looked too big for him to be wearing.

"Hello…," I said, bowing slightly to the stranger.

"You must be the student Recovery Girl has taken under her wing," the man replied nervously.

 _Is there something wrong?_

I was on the other side of the door filling out the student's chart while the adults chatted about the student that was brought in.

"The school year has just begun and he's already been in here three times!" Recovery Girl shouted.

 _Three times? Did he look just as bad as today?_

I know I was sent out of the room so that they could have some privacy, but the door wasn't exactly sound-proof. I shook my head and did my best to focus back on the chart only to feel myself tuning into their conversation again.

"Why didn't you stop him, All Might?"

"I apologize, Recovery Girl."

My pen slipped from my fingers and onto the floor.

 _A-All Might?! As in the number one hero in the world?_

"What are you apologizing to me for? On top of his total exhaustion, he was here just yesterday. I can't treat him all at once…" I felt my shoulders begin to tremble as I realized she noticed my handiwork. "…I did first-aid treatment already, so after the IV is finished, we can only wait for his body to heal slowly overnight... Jeez, I know he's your favorite and that you passed on your powers to him, but that doesn't mean you should spoil him."

I know she was hinting at some sort of punishment for me using my quirk without consulting her beforehand, but I didn't have time to worry about that. Right now, I believe I just overheard something I'm really not supposed to know.

 _P-Passed on his powers? That's possible? Does that mean that boy was quirkless or does he have two quirks now? What is All Might's quirk?_

"There's nothing I can say to that…because I wanted to consider his feelings, I hesitated to stop the training match. Even so…will you please not talk about One For All so loudly?"

 _His quirk is called One For All then… Ah, they kicked me out of the room for a reason! What if they find out I've been eavesdropping?_

"Yes, yes, Mr. Natural-Born Hero-sama. Mr. Symbol of Pease." There was so much I didn't understand and couldn't pick up from the tone of Recovery Girl's voice. It sounded like she was mocking All Might, but I was never good at catching these kinds of cues.

"My injury and this form of mine are common knowledge among the U.A. teachers and a certain group of pros, but the secret of my quirk, One For All, is known only to you, the principal, my close friends, and Young Midoriya."

 _Uncle knows? Of course he would… I guess I know now too. Should I just walk in at this point?_

"I know it's not like you want to rest on your laurels at the top, but is being a natural-born hero or the Symbol of Peace really that important?"

"If I no longer am, then the superhuman society will be seized by evil. This is the responsibility of those of us with this power."

I bent down to pick up my abandoned pen as I thought about myself.

I didn't want to have a recovery quirk, but now that I have it I should be using it for the greater good, right? That's what everyone tells me and it makes logical sense, but the fear inside me keeps telling me that I'm a monster. I can't save lives. I will only ruin them.

It's crazy though. What's so dangerous about a simple recovery quirk?

"If that's the case, then it's even more important for you to learn what it means to guide someone."

"Yes Ma'am."

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't hear the door open from behind me. I felt a hand on my shoulder and tensed up.

"Sorry, you spaced-out there," the stranger, or I guess this is All Might, said to me. I could see some similarities, but they looked just too different.

I stepped aside so he could leave before I was called back into the room.

"Did you heal his arm?" Recovery Girl calmly asked me.

"Y...Yes… I'm sorry for doing it on my own…"

"…you did a good job…it must have been scary for you to see someone with their arms like that."

"I wasn't exposed to injuries like that before."

 _His arms even turned purple…_

"This is a good learning experience for you. You will be seeing all kinds of injuries over the span of your career, but next time, please tell me before you use your quirk. You're lucky he is fine, but you could have put his life at risk after I already treated him. He doesn't have much energy right now."

"I…just wanted to help…"

 _I didn't use his stamina to speed up his body's regeneration…_

Recovery Girl left to meet with the principle while I stayed behind to watch over the boy.

 _He looks so peaceful…_

 _ **That's because he's unconscious dumbass.**_

"Who's there?" I asked, looking around the infirmary.

 _Maybe I'm just hearing things._

I heard a small shuffling sound and sat down in the stool beside the boy's bed. He had just opened his eyes after being asleep for a couple of hours.

"It's late afternoon…?"

"You're in the infirmary," I said, leaning over enough for him to see me.

He gasped as his face flushed uncontrollably.

"Do you have a fever?" I asked, putting my hand on his forehead.

"N-No!" he tried to push my hand away from him once I touched him.

* * *

 **Midoriya's POV-**

"Once your IV bag is empty you're free to leave," the brown-haired girl said to me as she pressed a button on the bed to push me into a sitting position.

 _She's pretty…_

"You're a student?" I questioned, noticing her uniform underneath the white lab coat she wore.

"I'm studying under Recovery Girl."

 _Does that mean she also has a recovery quirk?_

She looked as if she wanted to ask me something, but reframed from doing so.

As she was cleaning up the infirmary for the day she asked me, "How did you manage to break both of your arms?"

"It was during a training exercise…," I said, not wanting to admit that I did this more to myself than Katsuki did to me.

"You should be more careful. It looked like it hurt a lot…"

I felt my face heating up again.

 _A-A pretty girl is talking to me and she is even c-concerned!_

"Here, let me put this over your shoulder to hold your arm in," she said, pulling out a sling.

I left after she removed the IV from my arm and reminded me to stop by again tomorrow for more treatment.

I never got her name, but I was sure I would meet her again if she worked in the infirmary.

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

I hung up my lab coat and left for home. I needed to get started on dinner for tonight.

 _Maybe curry rice would be quick to make. I'll need to stop by the market on the way, though…_

"Ah!" someone bumped into me while I wasn't paying attention. I looked up from the ground to see a boy with ashy blond hair scowling down at me.

"Watch where you're going, eh?" he snapped.

"A-Alright," I stuttered, submissively hiding my face behind my bag. Once he was a good enough distance away, I pushed myself up and dusted off my clothes.

 _Is he supposed to be a hero?_

The next day the school gate was blocked off by a bunch of news reporters. When I tried to get through no one would let me pass. Cameras and microphones were being shoved into my face as they asked me if I was one of All Might's students. Every time I tried to speak or say I wasn't one of his students, I would get cut off by another question.

I wanted to leave, but no one was giving way. I wasn't strong enough to push through and my voice was too quiet to be heard over them.

 _Someone…please help me…_

"Hmpft."

I looked up to see the back of a boy with half white hair and half red hair. I don't know where he came from but he was able to divide the reporters enough to walk through. I followed closely behind him, afraid the reporters would close in on me again.

"T-Thank you," I said once we entered the building, but the boy never turned or acknowledged me. He just walked on.

I bit the inside of my cheek and made my way to class, wondering if Shinso had trouble with the reporters as well.

"Shinso-san, did you have trouble getting here?" I asked once I sat down.

"No, it wasn't that hard…," he mumbled, implying his used his quirk to get through.

 _I wonder if the reporters have a hunch about All Might's situation…_

"Before we start class today I have a small announcement to make. Asano-san, you're being transferred to the Department of Heroes," my homeroom teacher proclaimed as the class settled down.

"A-Already?" I stuttered as all eyes fell on me.

 _It's only been two days!_

"Your new schedule is written on here," my teacher told me as I regrettably gathered my things and made my way to the front of the room. I felt daggers being stabbed into my back as I accepted the new schedule and left the room.

I gave Shinso one last apologetic look before I closed the door behind me.

He wanted to go to the hero course more than anything and here I am heading up there instead of him.

"Class 1-B…I wonder…if that boy from yesterday is in that class…or maybe the one from earlier. He seemed like a hero-class kind of guy."

I knocked on the door and opened it to see all eyes on me yet again.

"You must be our new student from the General Education Department," said the homeroom teacher. I recognized him as the Blood Hero, Kan Sekijiro.

"She came from there?" a boy asked in a degrading tone.

"She's kind of cute," another boy said.

"Take this chance to introduce yourself," the Blood Hero said to me as I stood in front of the class.

I bowed and scanned my new classmates over. "My name is Asano Haruka…I prefer to be called Haru…"

 _Neither of them are in this class…perhaps they're in 1-A?_

"What's your quirk? It must be something good if you were able to transfer up to the Hero Department."

"R…Recovery…," I mumbled. "…similar to Recovery Girl…"

I heard a collective group of people whispering about me.

"Asano-san, you can take a seat over in the back," the Blood Hero said to me as we started class. "Before I forget we need to decide on our class representative."

Everyone in class seemed to want it, but rather than fight they decided to think it through logically. Whoever was the class rep would have to attend Student Council meetings and help out the teachers whenever needed.

That trimmed down the number of people who wanted to do it so we went onto the voting phase.

"Neh, Haru-chan who are you going to vote for?" the dark green haired girl beside me asked. "I'm thinking about voting for Itsuka-chan."

"I…don't really know anyone…," I replied, looking around the room as people passed up their votes on a small piece of paper.

"Well who looks dependable here?"

"…I guess…him?" I pointed near the front of the room where a boy with dark, shaggy hair was.

"Kaibara? I guess I could see him too. Did you want to run, Haru-chan?"

"Me? I-I just got here. I don't have the confidence to l-lead anyone."

"Alright alright. Just go with your gut then."

I looked down at the sheet of paper in front of me, embarrassed.

 _She said his name was Kaibara…_

Somehow it ended up being Kendo Itsuka and Kaibara Sen for the respective class rep and deputy class rep.

"Haru-chan your vote really made a difference," the girl beside me teased. I learned her name was Tokage Setsuna. She wasn't kidding either. If I voted for someone else Kaibara would have been tied with another boy named Tsuburaba Kosei.

Instead of retreating to the infirmary, I was held back by Tokage, Kendo, Komori, Kodai—basically most of the class. They were interested in getting to know the new girl who managed to make her way up to the hero course.

"It makes sense you couldn't get into the Hero Department since your forte is healing. The field test was better for quirks that could do damage," Kendo said to me as everyone walked in a group to the cafeteria.

Long story short, an alarm went off and everyone went crazy until a guy stuck to the wall managed to clear up the misunderstanding.

"My little sun must have been so scared!" Tokage shouted, crying as she held onto me.

"Sun?" Tsunotori asked.

"Haru could mean sun or spring, right? She is refreshing to be around, but she really shines like the sun to me. She's my little Sunny," Tokage announced. "Right, Kaibara-kun?"

"…" He averted his gaze with the stoic look still plastered on his face.

While everyone left for training I headed up to the infirmary only to find a note from Recovery Girl to hold down the place while she was out.

A few of my classmates came over to visit me, and heal their minor injuries. Being in a hero class was different than I pictured it to be. Everyone, except for a few I haven't talked to yet, was nice and their quirks were amazing.

But my mind never changed; I still don't want to be a hero.

 _Alone again…_

Before I could register how long I've been alone, a beeping sound erupted from Recovery Girl's desk.

"A pager?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Haru's POV-**

I was kicked out of the nurse's office after All Might and the green-haired boy were treated. Recovery Girl tasked me with recording the conditions and medical treatments from the hospital for the school's records, but really it was just busy work to keep me occupied while the adults discuss what had happened.

"Eraser Head has comminuted fractures in both arms and a facial fracture. Fortunately, there does not seem to be any serious brain damage. However, his orbital floor has broken into small pieces, and his eyes may suffer from its aftereffects," the recording said as I transcribed the message word for word.

 _Meanwhile Thirteen got messed up pretty badly, but the medical staff has confidence in restoring him._

"Because of the situation this time, I can't really scold you…," Recovery Girl said.

"I'm not sure…but I think I might've shortened the time limit of my hero form again," All Might said as I put down my clipboard and phone so that I could bring my knees to my chest. "I hope I still have at least an hour…"

"All Might…," the boy said.

 _Ah, he woke up already…_

"Well, it can't be helped. These things happen."

 _Putting your life on the line for others sounds noble, but…how do people do that? Maybe I should be thankful that out of all the quirks in the world, I ended up with one that doesn't involve fighting._

I buried my face into my knees, remembering the condition All Might and the boy came in when I met up with them alongside Recovery Girl.

I was scared. That was the most blood I've seen thus far and I know it'll only get worse from here on out. Trying to stay focused while treating serve wounds isn't easy.

I don't want to see people in pain like that anymore, but I don't have a choice.

I never had a choice.

"Are you alright?" a man in a trench coat asked me.

I snapped my head up and wiped the tears from my eyes with the sleeves of my coat before gathering my things and standing up beside him. "I'm fine… Are you looking for someone?"

"I just came to ask your patients a few questions," he replied, silently asking me if it would be alright for him to enter. I nodded and motioned that I was heading out.

I entered the bathroom and put my things on the counter before I splashed my face with water.

 ** _Why should you have to deal with other people's problems?_**

I looked up at myself in the mirror, water dripping off my chin.

 ** _They could have died today because of their stupid hero-complexes._**

"Who is there?" I called out, checking each stall for the speaker.

 _No one is here… Am I imagining it?_

 ** _Don't tell me you don't remember me~_**

"Show yourself!"

 ** _I would if I could, believe me._**

"What do you mean? Who are you?"

 ** _Don't worry, you'll remember what you did to me soon enough._**

"What…I…"

"Haru?" Kendo's voice echoed throughout the bathroom. She appeared before me, concerned. "You're pale, did something happen? I heard Class 1-A got attacked and one of them was rushed to the infirmary."

 _Am I going crazy?_

"It's nothing…," I mumbled, gathering my things. "I'll see you tomorrow… Class Rep…."

On my way home, I stopped to heal a stray cat's arm. I noticed the cat limping out of a nearby alleyway.

"All better now…," I said as the cat meowed happily and brushed up against me to purr. "Don't get into any more trouble okay?"

"Asano…"

I turned to see Shinso awkwardly standing a few feet from me. He looked as if he regretted calling out to me.

He started to walk by me as if he never saw me in the first place. "Shinso-san!" I got up to chase after him to explain why I was able to transfer, but he used his quirk to stop me.

He knew I didn't like it when he used his quirk on me. I didn't like the feeling of losing control of my body. On the long list of things that scared me, that was among it.

I couldn't even call out to him to tell him to stop. I was stuck watching his back get smaller and smaller.

I felt sick to my stomach and I wanted to throw up, but I couldn't in this state.

After a few minutes, I was released from his influence. I leaned against the nearby wall for support as I puked in the alleyway.

I pulled out my handkerchief and wiped my mouth.

 _I can't walk home like this…I feel like I might collapse any second…_

The next morning, I was snuggled up on the couch with a cup of hot herbal tea and the morning news playing. My uncle left earlier than usual this morning to attend a meeting with the faculty to discuss the incident yesterday with class 1-A.

 _"This is a follow-up report on yesterday's incident at the U.A. rescue training facility where hero course students were attacked by villains."_

My uncle wouldn't tell me much about what had happened yesterday, but school was cancelled today due to the circumstances so it must be serious.

 _"According to police investigation, the criminals call themselves The League of Villains and have been plotting to kill All Might, who has been a teacher at U.A. since spring of this year."_

 _Is it possible that the villains know that All Might is sick and getting weaker…?_

I thought back to All Might's nasty wound. Recovery Girl told me that I would understand in due time, but from what I found out while treating him, some of his organs are missing.

 _It's something that even Recovery Girl can't repair…_

 _"Police have arrested seventy-two villains, but they still do not know the whereabouts of their ringleader."_

It was good that only a few people sustained big injuries, but how can they fling themselves into the line of danger. Is it something they are trying to protect?

It must be. The students will protect their fellow classmates and the teachers will protect their students. It's that kind of relationship.

But life doesn't stay in that state of simplicity. When those students become pros themselves will they still do good for the sake of helping their own kind or for the sake of fueling their own incessant greed? Who cares who you save as long as you will get fame and fortune, right?

The doorbell rang and I got up to see who it was.

"Asano-chan, do you think you could come over and take a look at my little Arthur?" It was one of my neighbors.

"Yes Ms. Miura. Let me change and I'll be right over!"

It wasn't strange for me to get requests like this from my neighbors. Whenever their pets got sick they would ask me to use my quirk on them. Over time I've learned to control my quirk, but humans were an entirely different situation for me. My hands begin to quiver, but I can never understand why. I know there is a reason, but it's like that reason is always on the tip of my tongue.

I'm like this and yet I managed to heal that boy. Nothing seemed to matter to me anymore when I saw how hurt he was, but after that day I've reframed from using my quirk on him. Recovery Girl was right, I could have done him more harm than good.

I don't know why I can use the energy from plants to heal wounds and if it even uses the host's stamina or not.

"Haru, how are you feeling?" Kendo asked me before homeroom began.

"I'm fine…"

"Did something happen?" Tokage asked leaning into our conversation.

"Nothing."

"Those 1-A jerks! Everyone's talking about how they got to face real villains! We could have done just as well if not better against those villains!" Monoma shouted while Tetsutetsu agreed.

"I wonder what's the answer…," Kendo said, peaking Tokage's interest while I had no choice but to listen.

"To what?"

"Sorry I was talking to myself. I was just wondering if it was a blessing or a tragedy that class 1-A had a run-in like that."

"…if any of them stay after facing that situation…they truly are idiots…," I said to myself, only I didn't realize I said it aloud.

"What are you talking about? We have to face situations like that all the time once we're pro heroes," Kendo said as she eyed me suspiciously. Ever since she saw me in the bathroom the day before she has been keeping a close eye on me.

"…I was talking about the villains," I reasoned.

"I see what you mean. If I was going against All Might I would give up on the spot," Tokage joked.

 _Safe!_

"I hope you all had a good time-off yesterday. Now we have much to do in preparation for the U.A. sports festival," our homeroom teacher announced.

The class went up in uproar, some talking about showing up class 1-A while others were plotting how to get the best exposure for hero agencies.

I raised my hand, causing the class to silence as I was called upon. "Do we have to participate?"

"You don't want to, Haru-chan?" Rin Hiryu asked me.

I could feel Kendo's eyes on me once again. "It's not that…"

 _Yes, it's entirely that._

"It's just…my quirk isn't…made for combat…," I explained. "Sorry…"

An awkward silence filled the room upon the realization that if I did participate, I wouldn't last long in the competition.

Our homeroom teacher cleared his throat and explained that I was assigned to work with Recovery Girl in the stadium's infirmary for the duration of the festival.

I remember watching the sports festival with my uncle every year. They were amazing to watch, but also sickening. They were putting students against each other for the sake of entertainment and showing off to agencies. I've seen the desperation in the student's eyes, especially with the third-years.

Tetsutetsu dashed out of class as soon as he could to meet with the competition. Others in our class followed while some, me, were dragged.

There was more people than I thought there would be crowding around class 1-A's room.

"I heard you fought against villains, so I came to hear 'bout it!" Tetsutetsu shouted. "Don't get full of yourselves. If you bark too much, it'll be embarrassing for you durin' the real fight! You ignorin' me bastard?!"

I didn't have a great view, but I guess whoever Tetsutetsu was talking to was walking away.

 _Why are they declaring war against class 1-A? Just because they got attacked by villains?_

"That's the rude guy," one of my classmates mumbled. I looked up to see who was ticking off Tetsutetsu only to feel the color drain from my face.

 _I forgot about this guy! So he really is trying to become a pro hero!_

"Are you feeling alright, Sunny?" Tokage asked me as I waved her off.

"I'm going to head to the infirmary," I told my classmates before walking off.

 _Maybe I'm misjudging that guy…he might just look scary like Shinso-san…but really mean well… It doesn't matter. Being a hero…leads to nothing good._

"Ah, I'm going the wrong way," I mumbled to myself before turning on my heel.

As I was walking by someone, I looked to the side in time to catch their side glance. They continued walking while I slowed to a stop.

 _That was…never mind…_

With the sports festival coming up, my training with Recovery Girl increased beyond school hours. I've gotten somewhat attached to my classmates and watched them spar against one another in preparation for the festival. Recovery Girl taught me how to make recovery gummies which I would make for my classmates after they finished training.

There was a week left until the festival now. I haven't seen All Might or that boy hanging around the infirmary for an injury since the attack by the League of Villains. That should be a good thing, but I oddly felt unsettled.

I couldn't be wishing harm to come upon them, right?

 ** _You're wasting your time._**

I've been hearing a girl's voice ever since I came to U.A., but I haven't told anyone. Sometimes she insults me and other times she suggests unsettling things. She refuses to identify herself which leaves me to wonder at times if she is my sub-conscious.

The voice seems to be all inside my head, so it's possible I've gone mad without realizing it.

* * *

 **Midoriya's POV-**

I don't know how I found myself in this situation, but I was stuck in a staring contest with the infirmary girl.

I was just walking down the hall when I noticed someone sitting on one of the large window sills reading a book. It seemed strange since everyone was out training as much as they could whenever they weren't in class.

"H-Hello," I finally got the courage to say to the girl. "It's been awhile."

"…not that long…," she replied. "I helped Recovery Girl after the…incident…"

"Ah…I must have been asleep when you left."

 _What do I do now? Should I leave or continue the conversation?_

"It's good that I'm not seeing you around the infirmary anymore."

Somehow her words stung. "I see…"

"It's not a bad thing," she told me as I looked back up at her. She closed her book and sat with her legs dangling off the edge of the window sill. "That just means you're not getting hurt anymore."

 _Is she trying to tell me she cares about me too much to see me in the infirmary?_

My face heated up at the thought.

"A-Are you not going to train for the sports f-festival?" I asked her.

"I am," she replied, holding up the book she was reading. It was on human anatomy. "I'm going to be working as one of the medical staff members."

"That makes sense, heh."

"What about you? How is your training going?"

"It's…getting somewhere…"

 _I still can't control One For All…but I can't tell her anything about One For All and I don't want her to think I'm weak because I can't control my own quirk._

"…" She stared at me for a minute, which felt like hours for me, before fishing into her pocket for something. "Here." She held out her fist to me.

I held out my hand and felt her drop something into it. I brought the item to my face to examine it. "A small jar of gummies?"

"They're…recovery gummies… It's not as effective as having hands-on treatment, but it's good for minor injuries."

"I can't take this."

"I don't really need it…I can always make more…"

"Ah…true… Thank you."

The girl's eyes widened as I smiled at her, putting her gift in my pocket.

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

 _I never got his name…I think All Might called him Midoriya…but is that his first name or last name?_

The next day I was studying under one of many cherry blossom trees on how the nerves in our toes could be connected to the nerves in our shoulders. Everything is connected in the human body, so when one part is malfunctioning, everything else takes a hit.

"What are you reading today, Haru?" Kendo asked me.

I didn't realize she sat beside me so I tried my best to mask my surprise. "It's a form of medicine where it's believed that ailments can be healed through the relaxation of certain nerves throughout the body."

"Sounds pretty advanced."

I smiled to myself. "It's hard…but interesting… I need to learn this kind of stuff if I'm going to be…" My smile slowly faded into a frown.

"A hero?"

"Right…"

"…Haru… Why do you want to be a hero?"

"…" I looked down at my book and then back at her. "Who wouldn't want to be a hero?" I stood up and excused myself.

 _I knew it. She was getting suspicious… Why am I even trying to hide it?_

I thought back to Shinso in the general education class.

 _Right…some people would kill to be where I am now…_

 ** _I say let them kill each other. That's how survival of the fittest works, right?_**

"Chirp, chirp!" I looked down at my feet to see a baby bird. I cranked my head up towards a nearby tree to see a nest.

"You poor thing…" I went down on my knees and bought the tiny bird into my hands. "You must have fallen from your nest…your parents will be worried about you." Judging from the pained expression on the bird's face, I decided to see if there were any injuries from the fall. "Ah, your wing is broken! It must hurt… Don't worry, I'll help you feel all better again."

 _This bird is still a baby so maybe I should use a plant as a base…_

"Feeling better now?" I asked the baby bird who cheerfully chirped in response. "Now how do I get you home…"

I walked up to the base of the tree, holding the bird close to my bosom. "Hold on."

"Chirp chirp!"

I somehow managed to climb up the tree with one arm and place the baby bird back in its nest. I sat on the branch and looked down at the ground as the bird's parents came back.

"Now how do I get down?"

I reached out in front of me to a lone branch so I could begin my descent, but as soon as I put my weight on the branch it broke.

"Eh?"

I shut my eyes bracing for the inevitable impact with the ground, but it never came. Oh no, I fell onto something soft and bony.

"S-Sorry!" I apologized, holding my hand out to help the boy I fell on top of. "T-The branch broke and-"

The boy ignored my gesture and pushed himself up. He stood before me with his cold and icy gaze.

 _It's the white and red-haired boy again…_

"Ah! You're bleeding!" I shouted, reaching my hand up to his cheek. His reflexes kicked in as soon as my fingertips gazed his soft skin. He grabbed my wrist causing me to flinch from the pain of his grip.

"Don't touch me," he muttered as he tossed away my arm.

I bit my lip as I rubbed my wrist. "It's my fault you got hurt… Let's go to the infirmary."

It took a bit of convincing on my part, but I managed to get him to the infirmary.

"Eat this," I hold him, handing him a hard candy from a pez. "Your cut should heal in a few minutes."

He did as I asked while I cleaned his wound. I couldn't help but take in his heterochromia eyes: his left eye was an icy blue while his right eye was a cold gray. Speaking of his left eye, there was a nasty scar possibly from a burn. Was he in a fire?

 _If it's just damaged tissue I coul-_

"What do you think you're doing?" he muttered darkly as my wrist was yet again seized by him. Without my intention, I reached over to touch his scar, repeating what happened earlier when I touched his cheek.

"S-S-Sorry! I-I don't k-know what's w-wrong with me!" I shouted, rolling myself away from him on my stool. "It just…never mind. You're in the hero program right? My name is Asano Haruka from class 1-B."

"Todoroki…Shoto…class-"

 _Todoroki Shoto…? Why does that name sound so familiar? Shit, what was he saying?_

"Sorry…what were you saying? I zoned out."

I could tell he was getting annoyed with me. "I'm leaving."

"Wait!" He glared at me from the doorway. "I'm going to be in the first-year's stadium for the duration of the sports festival…so…if anything happens during the matches just come over and I'll fix you right up… W-With Recovery Girl as w-well since she is my mentor and I still have a lot to learn from her!"

 _Gah! Why did I lose my cool like that?_

I have always been timid in junior high, but I promised myself I would change coming here. If you're weak you'll get eaten up or left behind.

A rumor started floating around school that a student in my class was the Guardian of 1-B. The rumor was referring to me, but no one outside of our class knew that. People assumed it was a student with a tanky quirk, or just someone really strong or motherly.

"Do you see the Guardian?" an upperclassman asked, peaking into our room along with their friends.

"Um…," I said wearily. "You're blocking the exit…"

"C-Cute," someone said.

"Hey, do you know who the Guardian of 1-B is?"

"Guardian of 1-B…," I repeated shyly, remembering what Tokage told me about the rumor.

"Are they bothering you, Asano-chan?" Monoma asked me.

"Aw man is that her boyfriend?"

Monoma Neito. Quirk? Copy—he is able to duplicate other's quirks after contacting them. Despite how powerful this skill may sound, there is a time limit of five limits and he cannot use two or more quirks at the same time.

"Gross, of course he isn't!" Tokage shouted, shoving Monoma away from me. "Right Kaibara-kun?"

By now it was obvious that Tokage shipped Kaibara and I. Kaibara and I already went through the awkward conversation of admitting we had no romantic feelings for one another, but Tokage didn't want to give up hope.

"Are you heading to the nurse's office again?" Shiozaki asked me. "I'll walk with you."

Shiozaki Ibara. Quirk? Vines—self-explanatory. She attacks with the vines on her head.

I nodded as she walked out with me. Her thorny vines were useful in paving a way through the crowd of upperclassman nosy about the Guardian of 1-B.

"Deku-kun, how is training going for you?"

I slowed down to a stop to see a trio coming up the stairs, among them was the green-haired boy named Midoriya.

 _Is his name Deku? Midoriya Deku? Maybe it's Deku Midoriya._

I wasn't paying much mind to their conversation as I turned on my heel and caught up to a confused Shiozaki.

"What's this about?" I asked, shifting uncomfortably in my seat on the sofa across from All Might and Recovery Girl. My uncle sat in a recliner to the side.

"It's time we let you in on All Might's secret," my uncle explained.

It was to be expected that I would learn what was going on with All Might. This was to avoid any unnecessary attention if I had to treat him while Recovery Girl was away.

"Why can't we just regrow the missing organs or do a transplant?" I asked.

"It's not that simple, Asano-chan…," Recovery Girl explained.

"So…there really is nothing that can be done…?" I stared hard at the floor.

What was the point in having a recovery quirk if you couldn't heal those who needed it most?

"Don't be sad," the scrawny All Might said. "I'll feel bad if you cried for someone like me."

I laughed half-heartedly. "I used to watch you on TV growing up so it feels strange to think that…that one day…"

"How about we have some tea?" my uncle suggested before I could find the proper words to finish my thought.

 ** _It's only a matter of time before someone kills him or he dies off himself~_**

 _How could you be so heartless?_

 ** _It helps not having one._**

 _You don't have a heart?_

 ** _Who knows? Hey, why haven't you told anyone you're going crazy? Afraid of being sent to an insane asylum?_**

 _No…it's just… I feel like if I tell someone, you'll go away._

 ** _Don't you want me to be gone?_**

 _Oddly not…_

I hadn't heard from the voice since.

* * *

 **Midoriya's POV-**

I saw the infirmary girl again today. She was leaning out the window, petting a squirrel with an innocent and oblivious smile.

 _I should ask her for her name._

"Um," I said tapping her shoulder.

She turned around, her smile unchanging. I felt my heart speed up as I momentarily lost the ability to speak.

"Deku-kun, right?" she asked me.

"…Huh?" I managed to breathe out.

"Isn't your name Deku? I overheard a girl calling you that and All Might calls you Young Midoriya…so your name has to be some sort of combination of the two…."

 _She must have heard Uraraka-san calling me Deku._

"My name is Izuku not Deku."

"Izuku…," she repeated, causing my face to heat up. "Sorry!" I never saw this nervous side of her before. I thought she was focused and mature in the infirmary. "We never properly introduced ourselves. I'm a bit embarrassed since I've seen your chart and even filled it out before."

"I-It's fine. Let's just start over."

I scratched the back of my head as she shyly tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Midoriya Izuku." I reached out my hand to her.

She smiled and slipped her hand into mine. "Asano Haruka. It's a pleasure to officially meet you Midoriya-kun."

 _So that's her name…_

"It's really pretty," I said aloud.

"What's really pretty?"

I felt myself turn to stone after realizing my mistake. I quickly looked away from her, trying to find the words to save me from this situation. "I-It's just a really nice day out! Fresh air is really important you know. We're lucky to not be in a big city. Did you see the cherry blossoms? They're really blooming this year, huh?"

She looked taken aback by me. I thought I had scared her off by my ramblings.

I looked down at the ground afraid that she would think I was weird, but I was worried for nothing.

My ears were blessed with the pleasant sound of a soft chuckle. "Midoriya-kun, you're right. The cherry blossoms seem to be even better than last year." She smiled at me as if trying to communicate that she understood what I really meant.

I scratched the back of my head again as my brain was turning to mush. I was positive my face was as red as my tie.

"I should head back to the nurse's office. I'm going to shadow a surgery today before I give it a go."

"Alright… Wait! Are you old enough to be performing surgery?!"

She put a finger to her bottom lip in thought. "Society nowadays is really different from back then. If things go as planned I can take the board exam and get a medical license after my third year at U.A."

"Sounds hard…"

"It does, doesn't it?" She turned to leave as she waved over her shoulder. "Bye bye."

"B-Bye As-"

"Midoriya-kun?" she stopped to look back at me over her shoulder.

"Y…Yes?"

"I think your name is really pretty too."

It felt as if an arrow was shot into my heart as I became left alone with my thoughts.

 _She knew!_

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

 _Why am I like this?_

I was crouching on the floor in the infirmary, retaking my temperature for the tenth time already only to see I still didn't have a fever.

 _It's not hot outside and I don't have a sunburn…could this be a rash?_

"Asano-chan, what are you doing?" Recovery Girl asked, appearing by my side. I yelped and fell back in surprise. She stared at my face for a moment before she broke into a full smile. "Go take a breather out the window."

I did as she asked and leaned my head out.

 _Was I drugged or something? I wonder if Midoriya-kun saw it…his face was red too…_

I shook my head and took in a deep breathe.

 _No…I didn't feel my face heat up until I turned back…but…_

I put a hand over my heart.

 _Why did my heart start to race all of a sudden when he said my name was pretty?_

"Are you ready for our trip to the hospital?" Recovery Girl asked me.

I took one last breath, pushing my foolish thoughts to the back of my head. I needed to go into this shadowing with a clear head or else I'll be just as useless as before when Midoriya was rushed here.


	5. Chapter 5

**Haru's POV-**

My name is supposed to be bright and refreshing, but I think it's really noxious.

I try to catch my breath, but nothing comes into my lungs. I struggle for oxygen, but I can't find any. My name makes me feel as if I'm slowly dying away. It's torturous trying to find the space to breathe in all these crowds and empty spaces where only shadows roam now.

I just want it all to end or at least for the weight on my shoulders to be lifted. I want to breathe again, but if I can't find out how then I'd rather die.

"Haruka," my uncle said before I could leave for the first-year's stadium. "Do your best today."

"Thank you…," I replied, shyly tucking my hair behind my ear. I was in my normal school uniform, but with the addition of a white bandana pinned to my left arm. The bandana has a red cross on it to signify that I was one of the medical staff for the festival.

It was strange not watching the third-year's matches with my uncle this year, but of course nothing lasts forever.

There were a lot of pro heroes here today not only for scouting purposes, but also for security reasons. Ever since the attack by the League of Villains the school has upped their defenses, although there was a lot of controversy regarding the decision to hold the sports festival this year. I can see both sides of the story, but in the end if one wasn't held a lot of people would miss the opportunity to be scouted, especially in the upper classes.

There were more people than I expected there to be around the first-year's arena. Typically the third-year's arena was packed beyond capacity.

"Did you know that Endeavor's son is a first-year this year?" I overheard someone say.

 _Endeavor? The second greatest hero in the world…_

I've never had the pleasure of meeting Endeavor despite the dinners my uncle held in our home on occasion. Something about his name always sent chills down my spine.

 _I should wish everyone luck…_

I followed the sign leading to the participant waiting rooms.

 _Should I looked for Midoriya-kun and wish him luck as well? Todoroki-kun as well?_

I shook my head and lightly slapped my cheeks.

 _That's too embarrassing!_

I found class 1-B's waiting room and came inside.

"Sunny! Did you come to wish me luck?" Tokage asked me, immediately wrapping her arms around my shoulders.

"I-I had something I wanted to say…to everyone," I mumbled loud enough for her to hear.

Tokage, with the help of Kendo, rallied up the class to listen to what I had to say.

 _I-I didn't expect this to feel so a-awkward…_

"U-Um…e-everyone worked really hard," I started, looking down as I fiddled with my fingers. "I-I know some of you a-are trying to p-prove something as w-well…"

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Kendo smiling at me. It was as if she was silently telling me that I could do this.

I averted my gaze back to my fellow classmates, most smiling to encourage me to finish.

I intertwined my fingers into one large fist as I stuttered out, "D-Do your best!" I quickly tucked my hair behind my ears, taking in the positive feedback from my classmates. "Don't get hurt, but if you do…I'll be in the infirmary ready to help. I-I'll be cheering you all on, so g-good luck!"

"That's our Guardian for you!" Tetsutetsu shouted. "I'm all fired up now!"

Monoma came up to me and ruffled my hair. "I won't need luck to show up those class 1-A people."

 _I think you will._

"You're too cocky," Kendo muttered, hitting Monoma upside the head.

While everyone started to mingle amongst one another I couldn't help but smile and think about how everyone in my class had such wonderful quirks. I wanted the best for them despite my lack of knowledge on the rest of the students competing in this competition.

Everyone had their own reason for competing today and not everyone will win.

As I was on my way to the infirmary I stopped in front of class 1-A's waiting room.

 _It would be strange for someone in class 1-B to wish class 1-A luck…right? I already told my class I would be cheering for them. Would it be traitorous to cheer for Midoriya-kun as well?_

While I was in the middle of my internal debate, the door opened and Todoroki walked out.

"T-Todoroki-kun!" I stammered. "G-Good luck to you t-today."

"Hmpft." He just walked past me, registering what I said, but not replying.

 _Is he mad because I involuntarily touched his face twice and zoned out on him talking?_

Deciding that it would cause too much of a distraction to the others, I opened the door enough to signal the closest person to come over.

It was a boy with blond hair and a black lightning-shaped streak.

"Hey cutie, the name is Kaminari Denki."

"Is…Midoriya-kun in this class?" I asked, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. "C-Could you call him out here…for me?"

"Oh…you're here for…Midoriya…," the boy said dejectedly. "Gimme a second…"

He closed the door as I awkwardly stood in the hall, trying to calm my nerves.

"Why did he have to say my hot girlfriend was outside? I don't have-" Midoriya stopped himself upon seeing me waiting out in the hall. "A-Asano-san! W-What are you doing here?"

"Ah, please…no need to be so formal with me."

"Then…H-Haruka-chan?"

That dense air I always felt suffocated in…

"I'd…rather you just call me Haru…"

"H…Haru?"

…suddenly cleared up.

 **Ba-bum. Ba-bum. Ba-bum.**

"Haru? Haru-chan?"

I was brought back to reality when Midoriya touched my shoulder. I impulsively pulled my shoulder away from him, the blush apparent on my face.

"Sorry. D-Did I do something wrong? You looked startled…"

I shook my head. "No, it's my fault." I put my left hand over my heart and balled it into a fist. "I just wanted to say… G-Good luck, M-Midoriya-kun."

He was taken off-guard by my words and looked off to the side, failing to hide the pink flush coming onto his cheeks. "T-Thank you, Haru-chan."

"Try not to get hurt…like before…okay?" I requested, remembering back when his arms and legs were banged up.

"I-I'll try!"

An awkward silence fell between us before I decided my only escape was mentioning how I needed to go to the infirmary.

"It's starting!" I pointed over to the screen in the infirmary while Recovery Girl was taking my blood pressure at my request.

 _Ah, Shinso-san is also participating…_

I wanted to wish him luck as well, but I could never get near him. Every time I tried to talk to him he would use his quirk on me despite how nauseated he knew it made me.

 _Ah, Midnight is the umpire for the first-years, huh…_

To my surprise the number one student in the hero course was none other than the rude boy I had the displeasure of bumping into weeks before.

 _"I pledge…that I'll be number one,"_ he announced, causing me to fall out of my seat and onto the floor.

"Is he allowed to say something like that?" I asked as the TV perfectly captured the distaste among the rest of the first-year classes.

 _He must be really strong to throw a target on his back like that._

The first round was an obstacle course.

 _So this is a test of speed…good luck, everyone!_

Todoroki was beyond my expectations. His quirk appeared to be ice and he knew how to wield it well.

 _I guess he didn't need the luck after all…_

The rude boy seemed to have some sort of fire or explosion quirk. He used it to propel himself forward.

"Ah, all those people must be from class 1-A! They're not hesitating at all..." I observed.

"The USJ incident really helped them to grow as heroes," Recovery Girl pointed out to me.

 _I can see why Monoma-kun is always so mad about 1-A…they're really standing out._

"Todoroki-kun looks so cool. Ah! I should be cheering for my class! But…"

 _They're not doing as well as I thought they would. The difference between our two classes…can it really just be by one measly experience? If our class was put in that predicament instead…would the outcome have been as ideal?_

"Do you want to compete, Asano-chan?"

"N-No! I can't and won't!"

"Which is it?"

"Well for starters, it wouldn't be fair for me to come in out of nowhere when everything already started and plus I wouldn't be able to fight or use circumstances to my advantage since my quirk can only heal. Secondly, I don't want to participate in this barbaric event."

"But you'll cheer your classmates on in this barbaric event?"

"I can't change their minds…"

"I'm sure one of these years you'll participate. It looks like fun after all."

"Don't joke around like that…"

I heard explosions and looked at the screen in time to see Midoriya taking advantage of the bombs to push himself to the front. I don't think I can think on my feet like that.

This is the difference between my classmates and me. I'm not the heroic-type at all.

"Midoriya-kun won!" I shouted before realizing something crucial. "He's going to be screwed then…unless this year you gain something good from placing first…"

"Looks like a large group is coming in. Sheesh, they went overboard with the robots and the minefield," Recovery Girl complained.

 _"And the point value assigned to first place is…ten million!"_ Midnight announced.

 _Nope, Midoriya-kun is plain screwed…_

The door to our infirmary slammed open in no time and we were put to work during the next round. I looked over from time to time to see Midoriya trying his best to evade everyone while Monoma was picking a fight with the rude boy. I even saw Shinso using his quirk on his subordinates as well as whoever he faced.

"Be more careful next time," I lectured someone from the general education course before sending them off. "Sensei, can I take a break?"

"I'll finish up here," she told me, waving me off.

"Thank you!" I shouted as I ran out of the room.

 _It'll be challenging to find Midoriya-kun since the break time already started…I could grab something to eat while I'm looking. Ah! I should also congratulate those from 1-B who made it to the arena battles._

As I was making my way towards the exit of the stadium I overheard two familiar voices.

 _Midoriya-kun and Todoroki-kun! How lucky!_

"Since he couldn't surpass All Might, he moved onto his next plan," Todoroki said just as I appeared at the other end of the hall. I quickly hid back around the corner without getting noticed, taking in the private situation between the two boys.

 _That was close. I almost interrupted their conversation…it looks serious…_

"What are you talking about, Todoroki-kun? What are you trying to tell me?" Midoriya asked just as the rude boy appeared.

"What the h-"

I quickly covered his mouth, trying to signal with my lips for him to be quiet. He didn't seem happy, as usual, and threw me back against the wall. I covered my mouth to muffle the yelp that escaped my lips as he peeked around the corner.

 _What's this guy's deal?!_

"You've heard of quirk marriages, right?"

 _Quirk marriages…?_

"That thing that became a problem for the second and third generation after superpowers appeared. Choosing a spouse only based on strengthening your own quirk and passing it onto your children thus forcing people into marriage."

I looked down at the ground as I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed. The rude guy doing the same, but with his hands in his pockets across from me.

"The old-fashioned way of thinking brought about a lack of ethics. He is a man with both accomplishments and money. He won over my mother's relatives and got a hold of my mother's quirk. He is trying to fulfill his own desire by raising me to be a hero to surpass All Might."

 _That's…horrible…marrying for power rather than love..._

"It's so annoying. I won't become the tool of scum like that. In my memories, my mother is always crying. Your left side is unsightly, my mother said as she poured boiling water on me. Basically, I picked a fight with you to show him what I can do, without using my damn old man's own quirk."

"No…I'll reject him completely by winning first place without using it."

I was speechless, not that I needed to speak.

Todoroki's father seemed like someone I wouldn't get along with. A hero doing whatever he pleased just for power. No, it seems like he's more power-hungry just to be number one. He has already gained his fortune, but he greedily reached out his hand for more fame than he already had and now Todoroki is the one paying for it.

 _I wonder which pro hero is his father…?_

"You're leaving?" I asked the rude boy as he turned to leave, ignoring my question.

I sighed, "I shouldn't have asked." I peeked around the corner again to see the two boys were gone.

 _Where did they go?_

I made my way down the hall to the exit when I noticed the two boys not that far outside. I wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying so I waited until one of them walked away, signaling that the conversation was over.

The one who eventually left first was Todoroki, which was good on my part because I don't know what face I'll have if I were to talk to him after eavesdropping on his backstory.

"Midoriya-kun!" I shouted, waving at him as I walked over.

"H-Haru-chan?" he said, surprised to see me as I observed his posture relax. "What are you doing here?"

 _I shouldn't say I was looking for him. That might sound creepy._

"I'm on a break right now. I was just heading to get something to eat. Do…Do you want to join me?"

"S-Sure!"

I smiled, about to grab his hand. Luckily, I caught myself and spun on my heel. "Let's go."

We passed by multiple stands, trying to figure out what to eat.

"Maybe we should just eat in the cafeteria…," Midoriya suggested as I looked around wearily before giving up.

"Yeah…let's do that."

* * *

 **Midoriya's POV-**

Haru looked down as we made our way to the cafeteria to eat. I wish I knew why, but I figured it was best not to press on it. She might think I'm creepy since we barely knew one another.

"Before I forget, congrats on getting first in the scavenger hunt and getting into the final event from the cavalry match!" she said as soon as we sat down across from one another.

"Y-You saw all that?" I stuttered, remembering my failure to regain my bandana at the end of the cavalry match.

She nodded, "Of course! We have it live in the infirmary. I would have never thought of using the mines the way you did."

"I-I was just lucky is all."

"You had a hunch and it paid off well for you."

"Aha, well…"

"And the ending for the cavalry match had me on my toes!" It was amusing to see her beaming excitement. "I wish there was a few more seconds so I could see the collision between your team, Todoroki-kun's, and that…um…very proud guy."

"That's Kacchan," I told her. "He has…a unique personality."

"I've noticed…I ran into him a couple of times this year."

"Sunny?" I turned to see a tall, dark haired girl making her way towards us.

"T-Tokage-san," Haru stuttered nervously. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that! I thought you were going to eat with us. We tried calling you, but you weren't answering."

"You know I don't use my phone much…," Haru said, reaching into her pocket to pull out an outdated pink flip-phone with a rice ball charm. "Ah, it was on silent, sorry…"

"I worry about you," the girl sighed before she took notice of me. "You two know each other?"

"We met a couple of times," I explained as Haru pushed some buttons on her phone.

The girl hooked her arm around Haru's shoulders and put her mouth to her ear. "Are you trying to make Kaibara jealous?"

She tried to whisper, but it wasn't soft enough for me not to hear. I watched in confusion as Haru's cheeks lit up and she pushed her friend away. "I-It's not like that!"

"Who's Kaibara?" I asked.

"Sunny's boyfriend," the girl replied.

 _B-Boyfriend?_

"S-She's lying! I-I don't have a boyfriend…I don't even have a crush on anyone…"

I felt relieved to hear that while the tall girl made clicking noises.

"Sunny, if the others see you hanging around this class 1-A guy they'll get mad."

"They can't tell me who to spend my time with…"

"Wait…Haru-chan, what class are you in?" I asked.

Haru and her friend stared at one another before turning to me, dumbfounded. "Class 1-B."

"Y-You're a first year?!" I shouted.

"W-Wasn't it obvious?" Haru asked.

Now that I think of it, it would make a lot of sense why she was hanging around the first-year's stadium. Class 1-B was the class that didn't like mine though.

 _Does Haru-chan hate my class too?_

I looked back at her to see her trying to make her classmate leave.

"Sorry about her…she…tends to go off about anything… She's really nice though!"

"Does…your class hate mine?"

"Well…a few people in my class do…but the rest of us don't really care. The few that are mad just wish they had the same attention put on them. Everyone in school talked about the USJ incident and not to mention the news coverages about it. Tokage-san doesn't hate your class either...though that doesn't mean our classes can't be competitive. There are only two hero classes in the first-year after all."

"That's a relief. After Kacchan's speech I thought all of the first-years hated us."

"Oh no, the disdain there was real."

"Eh?!"

"He stirred up a fire. He basically challenged everyone to try and stop him while hinting that everyone else was weak. Who wouldn't be mad?"

"H-He said that all on his own though!"

"I get it," she laughed. "Don't worry too much about class politics."

After we ate I walked her back to the infirmary and made my way back to the field where the final event was to be announced.

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

"Shinso-san…his quirk must have a different effect on everyone," I mumbled to myself, watching as someone from class 1-A withdrew from the competition.

Even Shoda from my class wanted to withdraw.

 _Shoda-san is too humble…_

Even Kendo's team gave up their chance to claim the openings in the final event. Kendo nominated Tetsutetsu's team which meant Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki were going to participate.

"Ah! N-No way…M-Midoriya-kun…against…Shinso-san…," I mumbled looking at the brackets.

"Why do you sound so worried?" Recovery Girl asked me.

"…I'm more uneasy… You see, Shinso-san's quirk is mind control and once you're under his control you're stuck…unless you're hit by something out of his control, like if someone bumped into you or a bird pooped on you."

"That's a powerful quirk."

"…yes, but he can only activate it if someone verbally responds to him… I've been on the receiving end of that quirk enough to know this much about it…"

 _Will Midoriya-kun be alright…against Shinso-san? Just one word from him and he's done for…_

"The recreational games started," Recovery Girl said, pulling my attention away from my thoughts. "You could have participated, you know."

"…not this again…"

We worked through the recreational games and before I knew it Shinso and Midoriya's match started.

 _"Bring on the injuries because we're got our very own Recovery Girl and Asano Haruka from class 1-B waiting on standby!"_ Present Mic announced as a new picture showed up on the viewing screen.

"W-What?!" I shouted in shock from the momentary limelight I was given. The picture taken of me appeared to be a candid when I was in the middle of laughing. I couldn't remember where I even was in the photo or what I was laughing at.

 _"Put your morals and ethics aside for a moment, but of course, anything life-threatening is crap! It's not allowed! Heroes should only use their fists to catch villains!"_ Present Mic said.

 _"I'll stop things if they go too far,"_ Cementoss said, finishing his cement throne.

"Why are they endorsing injuries?" I spat out, annoyed that we were being taken for granted.

"How else will they get better?" Recovery Girl asked me.

 _Is there another way?_

"Sometimes you just need to accept things the way they are," she told me.

I frowned and turned my attention back to the screen to see Midoriya already caught up in Shinso's quirk. It wasn't hard to tell from Midoriya's blank expression and frozen posture despite the match having already started; there was also Present Mic's play-by-play.

Midoriya turned around and began to walk towards the edge of the boundary as I grabbed a nearby pillow and held it close in suspense.

 _Come on…it doesn't matter how hard…something…anything, please stop Midoriya-kun!_

"Look!" Recovery Girl yelled after I hid my face behind the pillow.

"What?" I asked, peeking over the pillow to see a gust of wind blowing dust everywhere. As the dust settled it was clear to see Midoriya functioning normally. "H-He broke the trance?!" There was no time to question it as I started shouting cheers at the monitor.

* * *

 **Midoriya's POV-**

"Say something," Shinso ordered as I held my left wrist in my right hand, doing my best to ignore the pain. I pushed my lips tighter together, making sure to constantly remind myself not to speak. "You can produce that much power just by moving your fingers? I'm jealous."

 _I felt the same way in the past._

I ran for him.

"Thanks to my quirk, I've been behind from the start. Someone who's been blessed like you can't understand, can you?"

 _I do understand…but it's true…I've been blessed._

"Someone like you who was born with the ideal quirk! Someone who could reach your goal!"

 _I've been blessed by others… That's why!_

I rammed into Shinso, pushing him back with my left arm and right hand.

"Say something!" Shinso punched me in the face.

 _I can't…_

I quickly recovered from the impact and continued to push him farther back.

 _…lose either!_

He punched my already injured hand. I couldn't help but release a pained sound as I stumbled past him.

"You've got to be kidding!" I turned back around in time to see Shinso leap toward me, using his own momentum against me. "You get out!"

Painfully using my injured hand, I grabbed his arm and tossed him over my shoulder and thus over the boundary line. "I can't lose!"

"Shinso-kun is out of bounds!" Midnight announced, throwing up her arm. "Midoriya-kun advances to round two!"

I couldn't believe I won, but the excitement I should have been feeling was overshadowed by the concern I had at Shinso's words of blessed people not being able to understand what he has been through.

But maybe I understood more than he realizes.

"Shinso-kun, why do you want to be a hero?" I asked.

"You can't help the things you long for," he told me before he made his way off the stage.

 _I felt the same way before I inherited One For All, but no matter what I say right now…_

"Depending on the results, they'll consider our transfer into the hero course. Remember that. Even if it didn't work this time, I definitely won't give up. I'll get into the hero course, get certified, and I'll definitely become a better hero than you guys!" Shinso declared.

"Yeah!" I said in agreement before I was once against caught by his quirk.

 _Even though the match is over, why is he…?_

He let out a soft laugh before releasing me. "People are usually wary when they talk to me, though… At this rate, someone'll trip you up in no time. At least…don't lose in an unseemly way."

 _Shinso-kun…_

"I won't!" That's how I got caught for the third time today.

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

I was called out of the infirmary by Shinso and he led me out to an empty hall where we wouldn't be disturbed.

"…sor-"

I cut him off and shouted, "G-Good job!" He was surprised, but listened to me. "You worked really hard out there and I'm sure you definitely…you definitely got noticed by pro heroes! You'll get into the hero course before you know it!" I braced myself for him to use his quirk on me, but it never came. "Shinso…san?"

He had a hand covering his face for some reason. "…you're an idiot just like him…"

"Him…?" I questioned. "Ah! You mean Midoriya-kun?"

"You both know the risks and I can never tell if you're plain stupid or not."

"…I'm not stupid…," I mumbled, leaning against the wall as I averted my gaze to the floor. "If everyone stopped talking to you…it'd be lonely, right? I'm sorry…if I made you feel lonely after I left."

"Why are you apologizing?" he muttered.

I laughed, "Maybe in a weird way I helped you hone your quirk better by trying to approach you these past few weeks…"

"Ah…sorry…you must have been inconvenienced a lot…"

"My stomach is alright. I'm a fast healer," I responded. "That's what I wanted to explain to you all those times. Why was I able to promote to the hero course while you were unable? I'm sure you're curious."

"Your performance must have been amazing enough for a promotion."

I shook my head. "Two days into the term? We both know how unfair the practical portion of the entrance exam was for people with non-physical quirks."

"Then how did you do it?"

"…my uncle is the principle of U.A."

"Are you trying to tell me you only moved up because of connections?"

"Yes…and no… I would have been moved up eventually, but my uncle's influence just speeded up the process. Most of the time I spend during their hero training is in the infirmary with Recovery Girl so I wouldn't say I'm taking a genuine hero course."

"All I hear is that you were blessed enough to get a wonderful quirk and an easy ticket into U.A."

"T-That's not it! Ugh! I don't know how to explain this in a way that won't make you hate me…and I'm really frustrated about it!"

"Just tell me!"

"Promise me you won't be mad! Or at least just hear me out…"

"I'll decide what I do."

I sighed and thought of where I should start.

"I've never felt blessed, Shinso-san. Maybe I sound ungrateful to you…but I never asked to be born like this… I didn't ask for this life… I never had a choice in what I wanted. Do you think any of this is what I wanted?"

"What are you trying to say…?"

"Everyone has their own story…their own reason for being here, but they all have one thing in common. And that's their goal of becoming a pro hero."

"…"

I felt a tightening sensation in my chest. "I…never wanted to come to U.A., but I'm here…because it's what my uncle wants. You must still think I'm blessed and just can't be thankful for what I have. Well what about what I don't have?" I pushed myself off the wall and stared at Shinso dead in the eyes. "My family was torn apart and do you know why?" Shinso stepped back as I stepped forward. "It's because of those damn heroes of ours."

"What are you…trying to say…?"

"My family is gone…because of heroes. Because of their greed for fame and fortune. Their endless pursuit for power…somewhere along the way…they all lose their humanity. I don't want to be a hero, but I won't rebel against my uncle's wishes…because he raised me in the place of my parents…"

"You make it sound like you're going to be-"

"A villain? What's so scary about a recovery quirk? No, I just wanted a normal life, but fate wasn't kind to me."

"Why…did you want to tell me all this…?"

"I saw a bit of myself in you… I guess I foolishly thought I could breathe a little better if I told someone here…but every second I'm here…it's like I'm drowning."

"…you won't become a pro hero…"

"I don't want to. I already told you I have no choice."

"No, you will never become a hero."

"Shinso-san…?"

"You'll never become one if your heart isn't in it!"

After missing the next two matches due to Shinso treating me to dango and shaved ice to make up for the tears that fell after he yelled at me, I headed back to the infirmary.

"Did something happen?" Recovery Girl asked after I settled back into my seat.

"I had something I needed to get off my chest…"

 _I didn't know you needed heart to become a hero…could have fooled me._

"Someone from your class won the last round while you were gone."

"R-Really? Who?"

"Shiozaki Ibara."

"That's great news!" I said before I noticed we had a patient in one of the beds. From the looks of it he was a giggling fool with his thumbs sticking up as he laid in bed. "Is he…alright?"

"He just exceeded his wattage limit. Some rest will do him good," Recovery Girl told me.

 _So some quirks have their own recovery regimen that even regeneration can't fix…_

"I have a lot to learn still…" I mumbled under my breath.

 _No…I need to get better at this…_

The next match was between a boy from class 1-A and a girl from the support course. She seemed to be using this match to sell herself to scouts.

 _I feel sorry for that boy…it looks like she's toying with him just to get exposure…_

After ten more minutes of her advertisements, she stepped out of bounds and the next match went underway. Both were from the hero course, but the fight wasn't as exciting as I hoped it would be. Nothing was that different in the next match either. It didn't take long for a winner to be decided.

"It looks like Tetsutetsu is fighting himself," I laughed. I handed some tea to the blond fellow from class 1-A. "Who do you think will win?"

"My class of course!" he responded.

"I want to say my class will win…but…it looks like this will end up being who can hold out the longest," I said wearily. "What's your name? I just realized I never asked you before and yet you were nice enough to call Midoriya-kun for me."

"I already…" He shook his head and flashed me a big grin. "Kaminari Denki."

"Asano Haruka. Fill free to call me Haru," I responded.

"I'm really surprised." I looked at him, waiting for him to finish his thought. "I didn't think Midoriya would find a girlfriend before me."

There was silence between us before I spoke up first. "Midoriya-kun has a girlfriend?" I frowned, putting my hand around my chin. "Makes sense…he's a really…really nice guy."

 _Why am I so sad?_

"Wait…you're not…his girlfriend?"

"…ME?! W-Why w-w-w…would you think s-something like t-that…?" I fiddled with my fingers nervously as my face heated up. "I-I'm going to open the window! It's g-getting stuffy in h-here!"

"I didn't think this match would end in a draw," I said as the robots brought in Tetsutetsu and the red-haired boy. On the screen now was the rude boy and a brown-haired girl. I've been curious about seeing more of his quirk since the cavalry match.

Kaminari had left once he got his strength back so now it was just Recovery Girl, me, and two injured boys.

"He really doesn't hold back...he started to look like a real villain…," I mumbled as I was patching up the poor girl's cheek. "There." I pulled out a small jar from my pocket and handed her a few gummy bears.

"What are-"

"They're gummies that Recovery Girl taught me how to make. They don't take up as much stamina as healing you with a quirk would." I rolled my chair back to grab a small flashlight and my clipboard as she ate the gummies. "Your injuries aren't severe so we shouldn't use more of your stamina than we need to."

I stood up and carefully tilted up her chin. "Stare straight forward for me please." I turn on the flashlight and shined it in both of her eyes to make sure there wasn't any brain damage. Once I was satisfied, I turn off the light and scribbled some things down on her chart. "Uraraka-chan, does it still hurt anywhere? You're not lightheaded or anything?"

 _I need to get better at remembering the names of patients._

She shook her head. "No, everything feels alright now. Thank you!"

"You're free to go whenever you like," I told her. "It looks like they're having the make-up match after they rebuild the stage."

She quickly made her leave and the infirmary was once again silent aside from the buzz of the TV.

"Good job, Asano-chan. You were able to determine the best course of action for her treatment," Recovery Girl applauded.

"Everyone has been coming in with minor injuries, so it's not that bad… If it's something I can't do, you end up coming in to save the day… I'm pretty useless huh…"

"Don't say that."

I looked at my shaking hands as I thought about using my own quirk to help others. "You were right…I could have hurt Midoriya-kun back then when I used my quirk so irresponsibly…but…my hands weren't shaking for some reason. Being around him…makes me feel like I'm having fresh air for the first time in forever… I'm not making any sense, but that's what I feel…I think…"

She smiled as if she knew something I didn't, but before I could interrogate her she spoke. "Do you want to see Midoriya-kun before his match? He came in with two broken fingers while you were gone."

"H-He broke his fingers? I didn't even notice on the screen…," I bit my finger in thought, debating on whether or not I should look for him.

 _He's fine now since Recovery Girl treated him…but…_

"E-Excuse me!"

I let my feet move on their own as I ran down all the halls, looking for any signs of the green-haired boy.

 _Maybe he's in the waiting room or he's on standby in the tunnel…I don't have time to check both places!_

I took a gamble and ran down to the tunnels that led to the stadium. In the distance, I saw a figure standing in wait for their cue to enter.

"Midoriya-kun!" I shouted as I slowed my pace down to a stop in front of him.

"H-Haru-chan? W-Why are you here?" he asked in a panic, his arms also flailing around. "D-Did s-something happen?"

I grabbed his left hand and carefully examined the two bandaged fingers. He seemed flustered at my actions before he realized my gaze. "Does it still hurt?"

"I can barely f-EEL IT!" he shouted the last part as I nonchalantly added pressure to his injury. "Don't do something like that, Haru-chan..." He held his hand protectively to his chest as tears pooled up in the corners of his eyes.

"Recovery Girl told me you broke two of your fingers…don't be reckless okay…?" I said, pulling out a small jar from my pocket. "Eat two of these before your match. They won't fully heal your fingers, but you shouldn't feel as much pain when moving them around."

"T-Thank you," he said, popping two in his mouth.

I awkwardly wrapped one arm around myself as I looked down at the ground, my bangs hiding my eyes from his view. "D-Don't forget…what I said earlier…alright?"

"E-Earlier…?" I waited for him to see if he remembered. "Ah! Don't worry Haru-chan, I'll do my best to make sure I don't get hurt like last time!"

"Promise?" I peeked my head up at him enough to see his face.

"…promise."

 _He hesitated…maybe I shouldn't expect much from him…but as long as he doesn't come back with nearly all his limbs broken… I won't scold him too much._

"Good luck then," I said, holding up my hand in the air as I pulled a reassuring smile on my face for him.

"Thank you," he replied, smiling back at me as his hand reached over to clap against my own.

Present Mic began his spiel and Midoriya turned to enter the stadium.

I held my hands together as I watched his retreating back. The stinging sensation from giving him a high-five was still resonating throughout my hand as the air around me grew thicker.

Once he made his way up the steps I jogged back to the infirmary, determined to watch the match closely from start to finish.

I haven't known either Midoriya or Todoroki for very long, and I wanted to cheer for both, but if I needed to choose just one then I'd cheer for Midoriya.


	6. Chapter 6

**Todoroki's POV-**

There was a girl when I was younger who wanted to be a hero more than anything. When I asked her why she would always shrug and tell me, "What's better than making sure everyone gets to come home to their families?"

I couldn't understand her. The only person I would want to come home to would be my mother. I didn't think she would understand me, but she had a way of seeing right through me.

We often went on playdates, but I know now those meetings were more than just mere playdates. I was to marry that girl when we were older because her quirk was unlike any other.

Only, I was always on playdates with the wrong girl.

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

"Why…Why…," I asked in my seat as tears began to fill my eyes.

 _Why does he keep hurting himself like this?!_

I stood up.

 _I have to do something!_

"What are you going to do?"

"Huh?"

"You're planning on going out there, aren't you?"

She was right. There was nothing I could do. I can't interfere with their match physically, but maybe I could try to get through to him with my words.

I couldn't just stand there in the infirmary waiting for him to be carried in on a stretcher.

"Yes…," I replied, surprising her by not backing down or making excuses. "I'm going there."

* * *

 **Todoroki's POV-**

I had nothing left for me at home after my mother was sent away. I wanted to run, but I had nowhere else to go.

A few weeks after the incident with my mother, my father received a call that would change what little I had left to keep me sane. I lost my first love and my future wife.

Did you think they were the same person? No, they were identical twins.

The playdates were supposed to be between me and my bride-to-be, but the family always seemed to mix up the twins. The girl I grew to love wasn't who I was arranged to marry and she was content with that because she was selfless, empathic, and so much more than words could justify.

I remember thinking for weeks that she couldn't be dead. She had so much she wanted to do. She was going to be a hero and now she can never be.

That kind of fate isn't fair.

Her name was Fujiwara Tsuki-Yuki.

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

 _That green idiot…he must think Recovery Girl will just heal him…_

I slipped through the entranceway for the bleachers, my classmates all looking over at me in surprise.

"Sunny? Why are you here and out of breath?" Tokage asked. I pushed past her to lean against the railing and take in what I missed while I was on my way here. Midoriya was using his broken fingers to fight and his left arm was broken and covered in ice.

I noticed while watching in the infirmary that Midoriya was getting his injuries from his own quirk and not Todoroki. This meant one of two things: either he can't control his quirk or his quirk can only be used if he pays a price.

It was surprising to me that he could still stand to fight with injuries like that, but it was obvious he was in fight-or-flight mode. From my trained eye, I could tell that he wasn't going to recover after one session with Recovery Girl. The fingers on his right hand were getting progressively worse the longer this match went and the more he used them to fight.

 _Why is he doing this…? Does he want to win that badly…? Even if he wins…he won't be able to fight in the next match…_

I tightened my grip on the railings, trying to hold myself back from jumping down there and putting an end to this fight. I couldn't understand why Cementoss and Midnight weren't stopping the match. This was just too cruel to watch.

Midoriya used his cheek and right thumb to send off another attack.

"Midoriya-kun! Stop it already!" I shouted, taking my classmates by surprise and even my class' rivals next door. This was a good example of what I hated in heroes. They keep fighting even when they're injured. They keep fighting even if they might die or are already on the brink of death. "MIDORIYA-KUN!"

That's when Todoroki surprised me. I had thought his quirk was ice, but the left side of his body was on fire. I had to cover my face to block off the wind and heat.

 _H-He has two quirks? Why hasn't he used it before? It looks more like he's winning so why is he going all out now?_

"Please…no more…," I cried softly. I felt a pair of arms wrap around me comfortingly. From the scent, I could tell it was Tokage.

"Don't look…," she told me, turning my shoulders so I could bury my face in her chest. "…it'll only upset you more…Haru."

There was so much I didn't understand, but I wanted to understand. I wanted to so badly, but there was something holding me back. There was something that separated me from everyone else. I wasn't at the starting line. I was still just getting there while everyone already started.

I pushed out of her embrace in time to see Midoriya and Todoroki charging at each other while Cementoss threw up walls in an attempt to halt the two, but they were too strong for Cementoss' walls.

A powerful gust erupted from the collision and debris flew. Tokage grabbed me to make sure I didn't fly away while I tried my best to shield my face enough so I could see the arena. The tears I was shedding were being wiped away by the gust.

I waited in anticipation as the dust began to settle. In a minute, it was clear to see who the winner was and who the loser was.

"Haru wait!" Tokage shouted as I pushed myself away from her. I could tell she was being serious with me since she wasn't using her nickname, but I didn't have time to wait.

Midoriya was hit against the wall and his body was sliding down to the ground. The responsible thing to do would be to head straight to the infirmary, but I was beyond any rational way of thinking. I climbed over the railing and jumped. Shiozaki managed to react in time to use some of her vines to cushion my landing.

"Thank you, Shiozaki-san!" I shouted, hopping off her vines as I ran over to the collapsed Midoriya.

"Midoriya-kun, can you hear me?" I asked, falling onto my knees beside him as the stretcher robots came. "Just grunt if you can hear me!"

He was silent so I checked his pulse, relieved it was still keeping a steady beat. I stepped back for the robots to get him onto the stretcher. I ran alongside them all the way to the infirmary where Recovery Girl was ready to give him an x-ray before we stabilized him.

She dealt with his arms while I dealt with putting a splint on his left leg. He woke up after we fed him one of Recovery Girl's candies though he was in too much pain to speak coherently.

Once All Might arrived, Recovery Girl explained the treatment to Midoriya while I stood beside her with my clipboard held close to my chest. "The bones in your right arm were shattered… It'll never be the same as it was before… We'll need to remove the pieces of bone to make sure they don't stay in your joints. I'll heal you after that."

I was too speechless to say anything. In fact, I haven't said a word since Midoriya woke up. I didn't know how I was feeling or how I should talk to Midoriya in this situation. I was mad, relieved, and upset all in one.

Recovery Girl looked at me before sighing, "To push and light a fire under a child who would destroy his body this much for what he yearns for…I don't like it. You're going too far. You, and this boy. You can't praise him for this."

Before All Might could respond, the door slammed opened to reveal a few students from class 1-A eager to know of Midoriya's condition.

"You're all so noisy," Recovery Girl complained.

"Everyone…," Midoriya managed to say through the pain. "…what about the next match?"

"Since there was a lot of damage to the stage, they're taking a break to repair it," the boy with glasses explained.

"That match earlier was scary, Midoriya…," a short boy said. "What pro is going to want that?"

"I don't like your style of rubbing slat into his wound," a girl who reminded me of a frog said, sticking her tongue to the boy.

"But it's true!" the boy retaliated.

"Be quiet, now!" Recovery Girl said, trying to shoo everyone out in my place since I was giving the silent treatment. "I know you're worried, but I've got to do surgery now."

"Surgery?!" they shouted.

"Go on now, get out of here," Recovery Girl repeated.

"I'm sorry…," Midoriya said to All Might. "I couldn't do what you asked… If only I hadn't said anything… It's because I said that to Todoroki-kun…that I…"

I had this incessant urge to punch Midoriya in the face, but I reframed from doing so because he was in bad condition. Instead, I dulled my urge by helping to get the back room set up for surgery.

"You were trying to get him to realize something…"

There was another strange feeling coursing through my veins that wasn't as easily identifiable as anger, relief, and despair.

"It's true… Todoroki-kun looked so sad…that I meddled when I didn't need to… But that's not it. More importantly, back then…I was just…frustrated. I couldn't see in front or around me… I'm sorry."

"It's true that it was a regrettable result. Saying what you did was foolish won't change that. But you know, meddling when you don't need to…is the essence of being a hero."

 _Meddling…is the essence of being a hero…?_

"Asano-chan, it's time," Recovery Girl said to me as I tied my hair into a ponytail. I nodded and pulled on a surgical gown, cap, gloves, and mask.

Once Midoriya was brought to the surgical room and Recovery Girl suited up, I began to unwrap his arms. He was still awake and not saying a word to me. He was avoiding my gaze, but I caught him looking at me a few times only for him to turn away in what appeared to be fear.

I laid his right arm on a secure table and sectioned it off with a curtain so he wouldn't be able to see. I switched sides with Recovery Girl so she could finish prepping his right arm while I looked for a vein in his left arm to put the IV line in. Once that was secure I clamped something on his finger that monitored his heartrate on a machine.

 _Now…the grand finale…_

I pulled out a gas mask while Recovery Girl glared at me for not talking him through what I was doing. I wasn't going to budge with my vow of silence

In my place, she explained how I was going to put him under now.

"Just relax. It'll all be over when you wake up," she told him as I secured the mask to his face.

He stared at me as I did this and I couldn't handle looking at him in this state. He looked like he wanted to say something, but the anesthesia kicked in and rendered him unconscious.

"Everything is good on my side," I reported.

"Asano-chan…you'll be performing this procedure."

"What?!" I shouted. "I-I've only practiced on animals and simulations! I only saw a few videos on extractions, but they were nothing like this. I don't think shadowing even counts as concrete experience!"

"You can do it."

"…what?"

"You seem to care about him a lot, so you won't mess up, right?"

* * *

 **Recovery Girl's POV-**

I've watched over her more than she realizes.

I knew she never meant any harm when she healed Midoriya's arm that day, but I couldn't risk her using her quirk on others. She told me of the incessant fear she has of using her quirk on humans, but she long forgot why she was afraid. She figured it was the feeling of losing control of her quirk, but she didn't seem convinced herself.

Nezu told me she was afraid of killing people, but to neither of our knowledge she hasn't killed anyone. It was in Asano's best interests that we didn't remind her why her hands always shook and her lips trembled when faced with her quirk.

Asano was special. I could tell from the moment I met her when she was still in elementary school. She can see things others can't, but she doesn't seem to _see_ anymore. Most of the adults pushed it off as her overactive imagination, but I know it wasn't.

She didn't use any of Midoriya's stamina that day. I don't understand what she did, but her quirk is something beyond my own capabilities. I just need to figure out a way to cultivate and shape that power into something that could compete with even the Fujiwara clan.

This begged the question: how was she able to use her quirk on Midoriya despite her fear?

"Scalpel," she ordered and I handed her it. "Beginning the incision now."

 _Good…a nice and clean cut…_

Asano was going to grow up fine, despite Nezu's worries.

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

Recovery Girl tried to calm me down after I finished stitching together the initial incision. I did the best I could with what I had and knew along with Recovery Girl's guidance. She told me that she would have done just the same as I had and even reasoned that his hand was beyond restoring, but why did things have to end like that?

There is nothing more we can do to restore Midoriya's hand to its former glory just like how there was nothing left that could be done to save All Might. If Midoriya was the successor of One For All, then I don't want him to end up like All Might. I don't want Modoriya to be broken.

"Kiss!" Recovery Girl said, puckering up as she kissed Midoriya's cheek once the anesthesia wore off. "I've healed you enough to allow you to walk for now." We already relocated him back to the infirmary bed before he woke up and All Might was brought back in to see how Midoriya was doing.

He was breathing heavily, more so after the kiss than before it. He must have felt burdened to have an old lady kissing him. He averted his gaze from Recovery Girl only to be surprised by the state of his hand. "Oh…?"

"That's what you get for overusing it so much in a short period of time," Recovery Girl explained while I fixed my hair back down and cleaned my hands in the nearby sink just to keep myself occupied and turned away from Midoriya. I didn't want him to see the guilty look on my face. "You should think of that crooked right hand as a warning. In addition, I will not heal injuries like this anymore. You must find a way for him to use his power in a way that isn't so self-destructive!"

I wanted to turn and shout in dismay at how reckless that statement was for her to say, but there was some truth to her words. He will become too reliant on healers and too reckless in battles if things continued like this.

"…" Before All Might could reply Recovery Girl spoke again.

"Now give these two some privacy already," Recovery Girl scolded, pushing All Might out of the room. She closed the door behind her, leaving Midoriya and me dumbfounded at what just happened. We stared at each other from two opposite sides of the room.

Correction, Midoriya looked at me and immediately turned away. I didn't have an angry nerve left in me anymore. I was just relieved he was alright now and guilty that I messed up his hand.

I walked over to him and pulled up a chair by his bed. Neither of us said a word. I stared down at my lap while he stared off to the side.

"S-Sorry!" he stammered after what felt like hours. I shot my head up to look at him in what I thought was confusion, but apparently wasn't. "I-I want to talk to you face to face…b-but the look on your face…is too…s-scary…" His sweat glands seemed to be on overdrive. Now that I think about it, he seems to sweat a lot.

 _…what face have I been showing him this whole time?_

I rubbed my face, trying to loosen it up. He laughed painfully before grabbing my wrist with his right hand. "It's alright…why do you look so sad now?"

"…sorry…," I mumbled loud enough for him to hear as I averted my gaze down to his hand which was still holding my wrist comfortably at his side.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"…I…was the one who performed the surgery…your crooked hand…is my fault…"

"Y-You're already performing surgeries?!" His outburst didn't make me feel any better. "S-Sorry!" He shifted awkwardly, releasing my wrist in the process. "…it's not your fault… You heard Recovery Girl, I did this to myself…sorry I didn't keep our prom-"

I punched him in the face.

"Sorry Midoriya-kun! I-I didn't mean to do that!" I guess there were still a few angry nerves left in me.

"I-It's fine," he said through tears as his cheek swelled. "Y-You're a lot stronger than you l-look."

I treated his cheek, continuously apologizing for hitting him. "I'm really sorry! I-I don't know…what came over me…"

"I figured something like this would happen after I saw how ticked off your face looked…though I thought it would be along the lines of scolding…," he mumbled that last part to himself. "I'm just glad…"

"Huh?"

"You're talking to me. I thought you weren't going to talk to me ever again," he said, relieved.

I crossed my arms, looking away from him shyly. "…the day is still young…"

"Eh?!"

"Besides…why did you do that? I've been trying to wrap my head around it…but I can't… Why would you put yourself at risk like that?"

"I wasn't planning to at first…"

"At first?"

"Mm, Todoroki-kun just looked really…sad. He's been living by resenting his father for years now. I just wanted him to see that…he has the right to make his own choices. He didn't want to be a hero like his father, but he isn't his father. This whole time he wanted to be a hero, but he acted as if he was only here to fulfill his father's wishes and spite him in the process. If I didn't help him to realize what he truly wanted…I could have won."

"…"

 _I'm only here to fulfill my uncle's wishes…but I've never resented him…I think._

"Haru-chan?"

"Sorry, I zoned out for a second… I was scared though. I wasn't the one fighting and yet…it hurt to see you like that…" I watched as Midoriya's face turned red. "I knew I couldn't do anything to help and yet I ran out to the stadium. I thought…I foolishly thought I could talk some sense into you…but you didn't seem to register anything but Todoroki-kun."

"Sorry…for making you worry."

"You say sorry too much," I mumbled, wiping my eyes once I felt something wet fall down my cheeks. "I don't know why, but…I feel so weird whenever I'm around you…"

"…I don't know how I'm supposed to take that…"

"Me neither," I replied, managing to calm myself down. I took his crooked hand in the both of mine, mindlessly tracing the scars as I looked at him dead in the eyes with my slightly puffy ones. "I just know…everything feels right when I'm with you."

* * *

 **Midoriya's POV-**

 _A c-c-confession?!_

My heart was racing faster than ever at this point. I could feel steam coming out of my ears as my beet red face began to drip with sweat.

"H-Haru-chan," I started, trying to figure out how to respond to her. I've only just started to get to know her. I have no clue if I even have feelings for her. Before I could tell her to give me time to respond to her feelings, she flinched and reached into her pocket to pull out her outdated pink phone.

"Sorry, I need to take this…," she told me before she left the infirmary.

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

I felt a vibration in my pocket and pulled out my phone to see my uncle calling me. I excused myself from the room and stepped out into the hall to answer. I didn't get a chance to accept the call though because I was too shocked to see All Might and Recovery Girl holding cups to their ears as I opened the door.

I quickly closed it behind me. "W-What are you two doing?"

The two were blushing as All Might averted his gaze from me.

"I-I'll go check on him," he said, entering the infirmary.

"W-Were you two listening in?" I accused, embarrassed as she nodded.

 _Honestly…_

"Hello?" I said into the receiver of my phone after hitting accept.

 _"Sorry for the late notice, but I'm coming home late tonight! Don't wait up for me after the festival!"_

"Okay…but what about-"

 _"Get home safe, Haruka!"_

He hung up on me before I could really say anything. I flipped my phone shut, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

Midoriya and All Might left together to watch the rest of the matches. I didn't know why, but Midoriya couldn't maintain eye contact with me again only this time his face was also turning red. Recovery Girl assured me that my face wasn't irked in the slightest.

Kirishima and the rude boy I learned to be named Bakugo began their match by the time I focused my attention back to the TV screen.

"T-That guy…is really something," I remarked, getting ready to welcome Kirishima back to the infirmary.

"I'm going to step out. You can handle things here, right?" Recovery Girl asked me.

I nodded, puzzled as to why she needed to leave, but I waved it off as her visiting the other stadiums or going to the restroom.

"Just get some rest and watch the match from here," I told an injured Kirishima who wanted to watch the rest of the festival from the stands.

"You already patched me up and gave me some gummies!" he complained, trying to overpower me with his strength. Maybe if he wasn't injured and his stamina wasn't depleted throughout the festival he might have, but that wasn't the case.

I pushed him back against the bed and put my hands on my hips. "Don't make me restrain you! This is a doctor's order!"

 _Even though I'm not a doctor yet..._

"Restrain me?"

"I'll let you go back after the next match alright? Just give your body some time to relax," I sighed, falling into a seat beside his bed. Thankfully he respected my wishes and stayed in the infirmary.

The next match was Tenya Iida versus Todoroki Shoto.

 _Todoroki-kun…isn't going to hurt that Tenya guy like he did Midoriya-kun…right?_

I watched as Tenya managed to land a kick on Todoroki's back.

 _No…Midoriya-kun's injuries weren't from Todoroki-kun…at least not until the end of the match when they collided, but he was already banged up pretty badly before that._

Tenya grabbed ahold of Todoroki and dashed for the boundary lines in an attempt to throw him over it. Key word here, _attempt_.

Todoroki froze Tenya's engine and in a matter of seconds the rest of his body until he was completely immobilized.

 _He didn't use his flames? Maybe it's a special move…or it has bad repercussions? He hasn't come to the infirmary for treatment though…_

"I can go now, right?" Kirishima asked, breaking me away from my thoughts.

Remembering our deal, I nodded and soon enough I was left alone in the infirmary to watch the next match: Bakugo versus Tokoyami. It was an interesting match-up to say the least. Tokoyami seemed to fight with the aid of a dark being while Bakugo seemed to just break through any obstacle in his path.

And that's just want Bakugo did this round.

"Todoroki-kun is against him…I can't really predict who will win. Todoroki can manipulate ice and fire so there is no type disadvantage against the explosions this guy has. It could be a deciding match based on strategy or endurance."

I stood up and ran to the door.

"I need to see this!"

I stopped myself when I grabbed the handle. A part of me wanted to go and watch this final match in person, but I couldn't leave the infirmary unattended.

"Ah…that's right…the infirmary…"

I let go of the doorknob and made my way back to my seat in front of the monitor. This is the first time I've spent an entire sports festival cooped up in a room instead of out where the action was. This was the first festival I've spent without my uncle.

Like most families, there are certain traditions or things that should be done every year because that's just what you do. For me, watching the festival with my uncle, having yakisoba under the cherry blossoms during the break, and finishing off the festival with the best caramel apples I've ever had was our tradition.

This is just another reminder that nothing lasts forever.

I frowned, remembering that tonight I would be dinning alone.

 _Maybe I should buy something after the festival is over for dinner…_

The fight began with Todoroki using brute force to push out a large quantity of ice while Bakugo knocked every single fragment away until he was eventually surrounded by ice, unable to be seen.

"Todoroki-kun is trying to finish this fast…that or this is his way of being defensive… If Bakugo-san gets too close to him it'll be a problem… Maybe he is just trying to finish this. He could always counter with fire if Bakugo-san does get close…"

I didn't doubt Bakugo for a second as he broke his way through his ice prison. Bakugo throws Todoroki towards the boundary line, but he is able to save himself and ride around on his ice wall. Todoroki looked about ready to use his left side, but something stopped him and he settled with just tossing Bakugo.

Compared to Midoriya and Shinso's match, I was paying more attention to every detail I could.

 _Todoroki-kun's ice…is starting to get on his face… I wonder if his body is able to handle cold temperatures…or perhaps just his right side can?_

The ice on his right side began to melt away as his left side lit up in flames. Bakugo was ready to face off against him until Todoroki extinguished his flames and took the blast from Bakugo at the last possible second.

The winner was determined to be Bakugo Katsuki.

"Todoroki-kun…" I said, shocked at the outcome of this match. It was obvious to anyone that Todoroki was not giving it his all and Bakugo was visably upset about that. Todoroki appeared to be unconscious as Bakugo grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and shook him to get some answers. Midnight used her quirk to put Bakugo to sleep as the robots came to pick up the injured boys.

 _"Todoroki-kun is out of bounds, which means, Bakugo wins!"_ Midnight announced.

I could understand why Bakugo would be upset. For all he knew, Todoroki deemed him unworthy of using his left side on. It was like Bakugo didn't truly earn his spot at the top.

Recovery Girl came back in time to help me with the two boys.

"Done," I said more to myself than anyone in particular once I wrapped up Todoroki's left arm.

"Asano-chan, I'm going to get Cementoss," Recovery Girl told me. "…before he wakes up."

I nodded, knowing she was referring to Bakugo who would most likely throw a fit once he regains consciousness.

I leaned back in my seat, pulling out Todoroki's chart to fill out awhile I supervised the two boys.

 _Todoroki-kun…he said he was born to fulfill his father's wishes… Quirk marriages…I've heard of them before from school…but…it's never bothered me as much as it did coming from Todoroki-kun._

I looked over at him.

 _Todoroki-kun…we've…_

I absentmindedly reached over to push aside a few strands of his hair.

 _…never met before…right?_

His eyes shot open and my wrist was seized and tugged past him as he sat up. I almost fell onto his lap, but I managed to catch myself by releasing my clipboard to free my other hand and grip the side of the bed.

"T-Todoroki-kun," I stuttered, embarrassed that I was caught touching his facial region again.

"…do you have a thing for faces?" he muttered, his grip relaxing around my wrist as I pulled myself away from him.

"No…you seem to be feeling okay." I took one of his arms and felt his pulse before checking his temperature with his consent. "Strange…"

"What?"

"N-Nothing!"

 _His temperature is normal…I thought it would be cold on one side and hot on the other._

"You're lucky you didn't get badly injured," I told him, remembering Bakugo's final attack.

"I used my ice to soften the blow and the landing," he responded.

 _I wonder if he could have prevented himself from flying out of bounds…or if just chose to cushion his landing after he pasted the line._

I examined Todoroki's face as he stared down at his palms. The Todoroki now and the one before the festival were completely different. Before he was cold and hard to approach, but now he seemed lost.

I wanted to say something to him to quell the unease in his eyes, but what could I say to make him feel better? I barely knew him.

I tried to change the subject to something that's been bothering me since he first introduced himself. "Todoroki-kun…"

"Hm?" He looked over at me in acknowledgement with his neutral face that oddly looked more sad than devoid of emotions. I guess he couldn't hide his confusion completely from his features.

I picked up the clipboard I dropped and awkwardly held it close with my arms. "Hav-"

I was cut off by the door slamming open just as Bakugo regained consciousness and started shouting. Cementoss managed to restrain Bakugo in a way that seemed cruel and yet necessary.

 _How can a guy like that aspire to be a hero?_

I'll never understand a guy like him.

"Good work today!" class 1-B's homeroom teacher said.

"As if," Monoma muttered.

"Class 1-A completely dominated," Tokage added.

"Ah, Asano-chan, you seem to be really close with that plain-looking guy from that class too," Monoma calmly said to me despite the vein that was pulsating on his temple. "Jumping over the ledge like that."

"It's a part of her job to worry about people," Kendo defended.

"No, I found her eating lunch with him earlier," Tokage retorted.

"Is it wrong for us to be friends?" I asked.

"Right! Kirishima and me are close!" Tetsutetsu shouted.

"You two just share a similar quirk…," Rin reasoned.

"Quiet down everyone...," the Blood Hero said, catching our attention. "There will be no school for the next two days. The teachers and I will be working hard to consolidate all the recruitment forms from pro heroes."

"You bought food for dinner?" Tokage asked after we were dismissed.

I nodded. "Yeah, before the stands closed I bought a box of okonomiyaki and a taiyaki."

"Your family isn't cooking dinner?"

I frowned as I pushed in my chair and grabbed my brown schoolbag and dinner. "No…"

"Wait! Let's walk out together!" she called out as I turned to leave the room. "Sunny!"

I ignored her calls and continued on my own.

* * *

 **Todoroki's POV-**

Ever since the day my mother threw boiling hot water on my eye, I thought my presence would only put more pressure on her. Thus, I never went to see her at the hospital.

I'm sure she continues to be bound by me and by Dad.

 _That's why, in order to aim to become a hero again with this body, with everything I have…_

I reached for the door, but couldn't bring myself to open it.

 _" **It's okay for you to become who you want to be,"** _my mother once said to me.

Recalling that memory gave me the strength to push through my fears of rejection and open the door.

 _In order to become my ideal hero, I need to see her and talk to her. There is so much we need to talk about._

"Mom…," I called out to my mother as she turned around, taking in my appearance.

Even if she doesn't want it, I will rescue her from here.

That is my starting line.

That is how I feel.

* * *

 **Midoriya's POV-**

"I'll support you, but that doesn't mean that I don't worry…," my mother said to me during breakfast.

 _I just keep going after what I yearned for, but that made those watching me worry… In order to become a cool hero who can smile and live up to everyone's expectations, I need to be able to do things in a way that won't make others worry._

 _That's the starting line where I can finally say that I'm here!_

"Izuku! Do you want to watch the recording? It's in HD! HD!"

"I-I'll watch it later by myself…"

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

 ** _Why the hell are you grinning like that?! It pisses me off!_**

"Because I'm happy," I said.

 ** _Now you're talking to yourself. That's just sad…_**

"No, I'm talking to you. Where did you go off to anyways?"

 ** _I got tired of talking to an idiot so I needed a break._**

"Mm, well whatever the reason…I'm happy."

 ** _S-Stop saying weird stuff like that!_**

"…I was lonely…," I admitted, rocking myself on my bed in the fetal position.

My uncle didn't come home till late last night and probably won't be awake till noon.

 ** _Don't you have friends? Wait, don't answer that. Of course, you don't._**

"…when you put it like that… I guess you're right…" I pouted, leaning my head back on the headboard of my bed.

 ** _I was just joking! You have plenty of friends at school!_**

"…they're not really my friends though… Friends are people you feel comfortable with and can talk to about anything. You eat lunch together, walk home, go shopping together, go to each other's houses… I've never had someone like that."

 ** _…_**

"Did you leave again?"

 ** _No…I was just thinking…_**

"So can you see and hear what I do?"

 ** _Yeah. I can even feel all the same feelings as you. It's quite disgusting._**

I laughed. "It's like having a best friend or a sister who knows me better than I know myself."

 ** _Tch… Who would want to be related to you?_**

"You're right~" I happily said in agreement with her.

 _No one would want me…_

 ** _Dumbass I can still hear you and don't take everything I say so seriously! This is why people think they can walk all over you!_**

"Alright, but since you refuse to tell me your name I need to call you by something… Can I call you Onee-chan?"

 ** _Die._**

I still have a long way to go before I can get to the starting line, but I think as long as this voice remains by my side; I'll be able to reach it. Maybe when I reach the starting line, I'll be able to understand why everyone is trying so hard.

 _ **"You will never become a hero. You'll never become one if you're heart isn't in it!"**_ I recalled Shinso's words in response to my confession.


	7. Chapter 7

**Haru's POV-**

"It's raining today so make sure you bring an umbrella," my uncle told me while I was eating breakfast. "I'm heading out now!"

"Have a good day at work today!" I replied.

 ** _You should talk to him…_**

"About?"

 ** _You know what I mean…I can see, feel, and hear everything you do whether you're awake or not. Even if it's just a thought I have heard it._**

"Then you also should know how hard it is to talk to him."

 ** _…_**

"That reminds me, how long have you been able to…I guess be me except without any control?" I finished my food and went to clean the dishes.

 ** _I've been like this…probably ten years now._**

"Eh?! So you basically know everything about me!"

 ** _More than I want to._**

I slipped on my gray blazer and a white rain coat that only went as far as my blazer. I wrapped a red wool scarf around my neck and pulled on my brown combat boots.

"Then…you must know if Todoroki-kun… If I've met him before."

 ** _You haven't as far as I know. Maybe you met him before we were united?_**

"Hm…maybe. He could just remind me of someone…" I grabbed my clear umbrella and schoolbag. "This has also been bothering me: how old are you? Judging by your voice you can't be that much younger or older than me."

 ** _Fifteen._**

"Wow, just like me!" I remarked, opening my umbrella as soon as I left my house. "I guess it would be strange to call you Onee-chan since we're the same age…"

 ** _Will you drop it with the Onee-chan already?!_**

I laughed to myself. "Then I'll need to think of another name…"

After we got closer to the school, the voice began to talk again.

 ** _You…you keep telling people that Midoriya guy is your friend… So you do admit you have at least one?_**

 _Midoriya-kun…I would like to be friends with him, but sometimes I just say things and pretend they're alright when they're not… Why am I explaining this to you when you already know?_

 ** _If you keep pretending to be normal then only you will be hurt in the end which means I'll be hurt._**

 _Y-You care that much about it?_

 ** _No you idiot, I feel the same crap you do so stop feeling so damn sorry about yourself!_**

 _Y-Yes!_

"Sunny! Are you alright? I messaged you last night but you didn't answer…," Tokage said, weary to embrace me.

"Huh?" I pulled out my phone from my bag and sure enough there were a few missed calls and messages from Tokage and surprisingly enough even Kendo and a few of the other girls. They all centered around the same message _"Are you okay?"_.

"Sorry Tokage-san! I put my phone on silent after the festival ended!" I said. "I'm really bad about turning the sound back on!"

"…I think you need a new phone, Sunny."

"I'm fine though. I was just a little shaken from the festival."

 ** _Liar._**

"Really? I guess it makes sense. You looked really concerned for that boy. What was his name again? Midoriya?"

I nodded. "He comes into the nurse's office a lot."

"That makes sense. He has a history of getting hurt so you wanted to stop that from happening again."

 _I wonder how he's doing after our two days off…_

"Today we will be choosing our hero names!" The class cheered in response. "This has to do with the pro hero drafts we were working on during the break and your up-and-coming internships with pros."

Everyone seemed pumped.

"Just remember that your hero names will be temporary. That doesn't mean you shouldn't take this seriously. Most pro heroes keep the names they came up with in high school. When you give yourself a name you get a more concrete image of what you want to be like in the future, and you can get closer to it. That's what it means to say that names and natures often agree."

"Sensei, can we see who got drafted?"

"Oh yes! I almost forgot," he said, hitting a button on a remote as names and numbers appeared.

"W-What is this?" I muttered, my eyebrow twitching.

 ** _AHAHA, YOU DIDN'T DO SHIT AND YET YOU GOT OVER A THOUSAND DRAFTS._**

 _It's because I have a recovery-type quirk! Any pro would love to have a sidekick to act as a support._

"Wow, Sunny! A lot of people want you," Tokage said as boards were passed down the columns.

"You got a few too, Tokage-san," I told her, trying to make her feel better about the ten she received.

"True. It's better than Monoma at least."

I uncapped my marker and stared at the board.

 _A name…for what I want to be like in the future…?_

 ** _Smart?_**

 _Confident?_

 ** _Pretty?_**

 _Really…?_

 ** _What? You don't think you're pretty so you would want to be pretty in the future._**

 _These are just adjectives!_

 ** _Some hero names are just adjectives…_**

 _This is a lot of pressure to have on the spot…_

"Eh? You still didn't come up with a name yet?" Tsunotori asked as the girls migrated to the back of the room where I sat during break.

"What about Sunny?" Tokage suggested.

"I don't think that would fit me well," I replied.

"But I made it with your name in mind," she whined.

"Something that gives an idea about your quirk like Recovery Girl would be good," Kendo said in thought.

"Guardian?" Komori suggested.

"That makes me sound like I have defensive skills," I sighed, laying my head on the table.

"I mean it's just temporary, right? It shouldn't matter what you put now," Shiozaki said, trying to cheer me up.

"I've just…never thought of it before…you all already know what name you want…," I mumbled.

"G1B?" Kodai spoke up.

"Acronym? G2B sounds cooler though," Tokage remarked.

 ** _I liked my ideas. Baka…Dame…Yariman?_**

During lunch, I sat in the infirmary flipping through the pages of agencies my homeroom teacher gave me.

"Sensei, do you think I should go to an internship for disasters, rescues, or fighting villains?"

"I told you not to call me sensei," she replied to me, handing me a sheet of paper. "These came in my mailbox today."

"Hospitals?" I questioned.

"Even hospitals can have specialties whether it's because of who is working there or the environment the hospital is in."

"I see…it would be wiser for me to go where my quirk would get the best form of growth…" I turned back to the pages of hero agencies before my eyes landed on a familiar name. "Endeavor…? Why would he send a draft for me?"

I felt uneasy about seeing his name on my list, but I pushed it off as my hate for heroes like him who are selfish.

"I'm not going to choose for you…but if you want my opinion on the best hospitals to have an internship at…"

 ** _It's been going through your fucking head all day. Will you just go to him and fucking see how he is doing?!_**

 _It's too weird to walk into his class and it's not like I see him around school normally._

 ** _That's why you get his phone number so you can ask him to meet up with you!_**

 _I barely use my phone though…_

 ** _Does it sound like I give a damn?_**

 _Yes. You wouldn't have brought it up if you didn't care._

 ** _You're so frustrating!_**

"Ah, Todoroki-kun," I said, seeing him when I picked up my umbrella from the bin. "Hello…"

"Hey," he said flatly, but it was a better response than I anticipated.

"Are you heading home now?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to walk home together?"

"…do what you want."

 _Well he didn't say no…_

 ** _You should have been pushy and just say you're walking home together._**

 _I'm not going to take advice from you!_

"Did you decide on where you're going for your internship yet?"

"Yeah."

"Better than me…I didn't decide on one…"

"What are your options?"

"I got over a thousand, but I'm looking more at the inquiries from hospitals since I'm going towards a medical future. I shouldn't be surprised at the amount of hero agencies that want a healing quirk, but I didn't expect an agency as big as Endeavor's would draft me in my first year."

Todoroki stopped walking and stared at me in disbelief.

"Todoroki-kun?"

"…Endeavor…sent you an offer?"

"I knew it…it was odd huh."

Todoroki looked like he was in deep thought when he shook his head. "Forget it."

 _Did I upset him? Maybe he didn't get an offer from there…I don't see why he wouldn't get one…_

Trying to change the subject I pulled out my phone. "Let's exchange numbers. That way if you're ever in need of treatment, you can call me over."

He stared at my phone for a while until he pulled out his own and traded it with me.

 _How…How do I use his phone? Is this a smartphone?_

* * *

 **Todoroki's POV-**

 _Who uses phones like these anymore?_

After messing around with her phone for a bit, I managed to find the option to add a new contact. I looked up to give back her phone only to see her face flustered.

I shouldn't have anything inappropriate in my phone for her to be so flustered. Before I could ask what was wrong, I heard a sound erupt the silence from my phone.

It was a familiar tune.

"A-Ah! H-How do I m-make it s-stop?" Asano panicked, flailing around. "Why are there a bunch of candy on the screen?!"

I held my hand out to her. "Here, let me…" She gave my phone back to me and with one easy button I exited the game. "You didn't put your number in yet?"

 _Was she just going through my phone?_

Her face was still flushed as she fiddled with her fingers. "I-I'm really bad at using my own phone…so using a smartphone…"

 _She's old-fashioned._

"I'll call myself on your phone then." I flipped open her phone and dialed my number.

"Sorry…," she said after I gave her phone back. "I'm the one who brought up exchanging numbers too…"

"I'm going this way," I told her, pointing off to the side.

"Ah, I'm this way… G-Goodbye Todoroki-kun," she said, waving with a light pink hue gracing her cheeks.

 _Is she still embarrassed about the phone thing?_

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

 _I can't believe I walked home with someone!_

I fell face first on my bed and rolled around, holding a pillow to my face.

 _I even exchanged numbers with them!_

I sat back up and pulled out my phone, looking at the name. "Todoroki Shoto…"

 ** _Why are you so bubbly about getting his number? You already have the numbers of everyone in your class and that Shinso guy._**

"Because I asked for the number rather than the other way around. I've never walked home with a classmate before…even though it wasn't all the way to my house."

 ** _Well now that you've had practice you can ask Midoriya about it tomorrow!_**

"I can do this!"

* * *

 **Midoriya's POV-**

"Midoriya-kun!" I turned to see Haru jogging over to me and Uraraka whom I was walking with to the cafeteria.

"Haru-chan?"

"Do you have time?" she asked, realizing I wasn't alone.

I turned to Uraraka who shook her head. "I'll go on ahead."

"What did you need?" I asked Haru.

"I wanted to check in on your injuries. I didn't see you at the infirmary at all yesterday," she pouted.

"Ah, well…I had a lot on my mind…"

"Internships and hero names?"

"Mm."

"Well don't think too hard or you'll get stressed out," she laughed, grabbing me by my wrist. "Let's go to Recovery Girl's office."

She soon let go of me as I fell into step with her. I sat on a rolling stool while she gave me a quick check up and Recovery Girl healed my arm.

"You should be more conscious about your injuries," Recovery Girl scolded before leaving to get her lunch.

"Before I forget," Haru said, digging into her pocket. I looked at her curiously, partly wondering if it was her jar of gummies, as she pulled out her pink flip-phone. "Let's exchange numbers."

 _…a-a g-girl wants m-my number?!_

Suddenly I remembered her confession.

 ** _"I just know…everything feels right when I'm with you."_**

My face heated up and sweat fell down my face as I took her phone and inputted my number.

"H-Here," I said, handing her phone back to her with my gaze averted. I tugged on the collar of my shirt.

 _Is it hot in here?_

"I'll send you a message later so you'll get my number." She tucked her phone away and looked back at my flustered state. "Hm…I just remembered…we were in the middle of talking when I got a call during the sports festival…"

 _She brought it up! She must want an answer!_

"I-It's fine! S-See you around, H-Haru-chan!" I shouted as I bolted out of the room.

 _I'm sorry, Haru-chan! I can't respond to your feelings yet!_

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

"…why did he run out of the room like that?" I asked, sweat trickling down the side of my face. "Did I say something weird?"

 ** _I think he's naturally really bashful._**

"I've noticed…"

* * *

 **Midoriya's POV-**

"Izuku, I'm heading to bed now!" my mom said.

"Good night!" I replied, lying back on my bed, scrolling through my phone. "Hm? I got a message." I sat up and opened the message to see an unknown number.

 _"I'm really sorry if I just woke you up, Midoriya-kun. I forgot to message you! I'm really bad at using my phone… Anyways, this is my number! We can talk to each other whenever we want now! (^-^)"_

My face heated up once I realized this was Haru.

 _W-Why does she have to s-say it like that? What's with that face…? It's…cute…_

I reread the message ten times over as if I was reading it for the first time. I didn't even realize how big of a grin I had on my face.

"Ah! I should send her a response!" I hit reply and tried to figure out what to say.

 _I've never messaged a girl before…I have the girls in my class' numbers…but I've never actually messaged them on it…_

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

"I guess he's asleep. That's good. I would feel bad if I woke him up," I said, stretching in my black sports shorts and white tank top.

 ** _Why are you so eager for his response?_**

 _I-I'm not eager!_

 ** _…who do you think you're talking to?_**

I laid down on the floor and started doing sit-ups.

 _I-I've n-never initiated conversations t-through text before, a-alright!_

 ** _Now that you mention it…the only person you go out of your way to call and text is Nezu and Recovery Girl._**

 _Y-You make it sound like a bad thing… I'm just not that attached to my phone._

 ** _You're in the wrong generation…_**

I turned onto my stomach and started planking.

 _I just don't see the appeal…_

I heard a beeping and dropped onto my stomach.

"A message?" I asked, surprised as I scrambled to my bed to grab my phone. "It's from Midoriya-kun!"

" _I'm still awake, haha. Yeah, it will definitely be easier to message you since we're not in the same class. I didn't wake you up either, right? (O_O) Sorry if I did."_

 ** _You're not going to take an hour to send your message like last time, right?_**

Ignoring the voice, I typed up my response.

* * *

 **Midoriya's POV-**

"She responded!" I stated, quickly opening the message.

 _"No, I'm still awake. I'm just stretching before bed. You should too! It's good to loosen up your muscles after sitting in class all day. \\(^-^)/ Haha, I even got the emoticon to stretch!"_

I couldn't help but laugh as I formulated my response.

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

 _"Like this? /(=_=)/"_

"Pfft. W-What is this? He looks so tired and unenthusiastic about it!"

 ** _Go to sleep already!_**

"Come on you party pooper. Let's see what he has to say about this."

* * *

 **Midoriya's POV-**

 _"We'll work on your form another time. Hey, could you help me come up with a girl's name?"_

 _A girl's name?_

"Well if I think about some of the popular names in Japan…"

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

"Yui…Rin… Well you definitely act cold. Mizuki…?" I thought about the names Midoriya recommended. "Water moon? I think it could mean beautiful moon too… I like it. What do you think?"

 ** _…fine…_**

 _You're not going to complain?_

 ** _Out of the names he gave you, you thought this one suited me the best, right?_**

 _Yeah…_

 ** _Then I'm fine with it._**

A few days later I was at the train station with my classmates and homeroom teacher.

"Wah! Our internships are so far from each other Sunny!" Tokage whined, clinging onto me.

"It's only a week," I reasoned.

"You don't have a costume?" Tetsutetsu asked me.

I shook my head, "I didn't think I needed one so I didn't fill out the form."

"That's not good. You should get one after the internships are over," Kaibara said to me.

"It'll be the plainest thing you've ever seen if I do…"

"You're not restricted by your quirk, so just make it a costume that you normally wouldn't wear," Kaibara suggested.

 ** _Are you seriously thinking about making it a puffy magical girl costume like the ones you saw on TV?_**

 _N-Not anymore!_

We all went our separate ways. I felt a vibration in my pocket and pulled out my phone.

 _Midoriya-kun?_

 _"Did you just get on your train?"_

I looked out the window as the whistle blew, signaling that we were to depart in the next minute. I turned back to my phone and began my reply. "Yeah, what about you? I never got around to asking where your internship is."

 _"I just got on. I'm heading to Yamanashi Prefecture. What about you?"_

 _Eh?!_

"Where in Yamanashi?! I'm going to the Captial, Kofu!"

 _"Same! Does that mean we're on the same train?!"_

I quickly dialed his number and waited for him to answer so I wouldn't have to text and wait for his response.

 _"Hello? Which car are you in?"_

"I'm in the fifth one."

 _"Ah, I'm in the seventh one! I barely made it before the doors closed. I'll come to you."_

He hung up and in a few minutes, he appeared with his luggage. He sat beside me and we talked the entire way to Kofu about how our classes were. The atmosphere is completely different in mine than his.

He offered to walk me to the hospital before he headed to his own destination.

"Hero costume?" he repeated after I asked him for advice on where to start when designing a costume. "You don't have one?"

"I just left it blank when I applied," I shrugged. "I didn't think it was necessary, but I guess I should have one…"

"Your quirk is like Recovery Girl's, right?" he asked, handing me his suitcase while he pulled out a notebook. I peeked over to see what he was looking at to see a page with my name on it. He scribbled down the basics of what Recovery Girl's quirk does and started mumbling to himself about costume design.

 ** _H…How do you get him to stop?_**

"M-Midoriya-kun?" I asked, wearily with a smile as we arrived at the hospital.

"Ah! Sorry, Haru-chan! I didn't notice we were already here!"

"I-It's fine. You looked really focused so I didn't want to bother you."

"…s-sorry… I get carried away sometimes."

 ** _You didn't think he would mumble the whole fifteen minutes it took to walk here._**

"Don't worry about it," I said, handing him his suitcase. "You should hurry over to your internship before it gets dark."

"Right, see you!"

"Bye." I waved as he ran off.

I turned around to look at the hospital.

 _Kofu Hospital is known for their partnership with Fujiwara Corp which means they will have recovery quicks on a whole different level than I've seen._

I thought back to my conversation with my uncle before I left in the morning.

 ** _"Haruka…if you want to come home at any point during your internship…just come. Be careful while you're under Kofu General Hospital's care."_**

 _Does he not have faith in my capabilities?_

I sighed.

 _I wouldn't blame him. I'm such a wimp when it comes to using it._

* * *

 **-MEANWHILE-**

"So you want to add me to your numbers? No matter what you want to accomplish, it is necessary to have conviction and desire. Those without it and those who are weak will be weeded out. It's only natural. That's why it turns out like this," said the Hero Killer Stain as he held two knives on both sides of Shigaraki's head, one of which was wedged into his shoulder.

"Oww… That's too hard," Shigaraki whined. "Kurogiri, take this guy back."

"I-I can't move my body…," Kurogiri responded. "It must be the hero killer's quirk…"

"This society overgrown with fake heroes, where the word itself has lost its true meaning, and the criminals who wave their power around idly should all be purged," Stain said, moving his free knife closer to Shigaraki's face.

Shigaraki grabbed ahold of the blade and clenched his fist around it. "Hey, wait a sec… Not this palm… I'll kill you. You sure talk a lot." The blade began to crack. "Conviction?" He crushed the blade into ash. "I don't have anything grand like that. If I had to say it… Yeah, it would be All Might. I feel like I really want to completely crush this society, where trash like that gets worshipped." He grabbed at Stain, but he was able to jump back and evade Shigaraki's hand. "My last injury was finally about to finish healing… We don't have a healer in our party, you know. Will you take responsibility for this?"

"So that's who you are."

"Huh?"

"It seems our goals oppose each other. However, we do agree on one thing—to destroy the present."

"Stop messing around. Go home. Die. I'm the kind of person you hate the most, right?"

"I was testing your true motives. People show their true colors when they're on the verge of death. It's different, but there is a desire in you. A warped sprout of conviction is living inside of you. How will you grow? It might not be too late to wait until after I've seen that to dispose of you…"

"You're gonna dispose of me? Kurogiri, I don't want someone this crazy as a party member."

"Shigaraki Tomura, he will be a great asset if he joins us," Kurogiri reasoned. "The negotiations were successful."

"My business is done. Now, return me to Hosu. There are still things I must attend to there," Stain ordered.

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

Kofu Hospital was not to be messed with. I've met people with quirks that allow them to see skeletal regions, muscles, and even atoms. There were even quirks that had medical qualities like a water-user who can create a ball of water that heals burn victims without scarring. There were fire-users who can heal those brought in with hypothermia, and earth-users who could help those with problems keeping balance.

For me I need to touch someone to activate my quirk, but I met a doctor who just needs to be within ten feet of a patient and they could release an aroma that accelerates the healing process.

I mostly served as an assistant here, moving to a new doctor every four hours to shadow. They were quiet intimidating at first to be around, but after my first day everyone seemed to be warming up to me.

"Asano-chan, you're more comfortable using your quirk on animals, right?" the doctor I was currently shadowing asked me. Her quirk allowed her to manipulate patient's dreams since there are studies that suggest a correlation between positive thoughts and recovery rates especially when dealing with cancer.

"Yeah…," I replied, a bit embarrassed at how lame I must sound.

This doctor had taken a particular interest in me. Her hero name was Yume and she has short orange hair and sharp emerald green eyes behind her spectacles.

"What about a human with a quirk that alters their body into an animal or something not resembling a human?"

"I've never tried before…"

"Just our luck. We got someone an hour ago in the emergency room. They got into a bar fight gone wrong."

"E-Eh?! I-I couldn't."

"You will never know you can't until you try."

She pushed me down to the ER and we stopped at a bed where an unconscious man laid with both his arms warmed up in a mummy-like fashion. His quirk seemed to be a lion-form.

 _Ack, he reeks of alcohol…_

The Yume put her hand on my shoulder. "You can do this, Asano-chan."

I bit the inside of my cheek and looked through the patient's chart to see what the damage was.

 _A broken arm and a nasty gash on the other arm…other than that it seems like it's just some minor bruising and scratches here and there…_

I put down the chart and looked him over. He certainly did not look human in the least.

I took a deep breath and placed my hands on him: one hand on his stomach and the other on his shoulder.

 _They're not shaking!_

I pictured my hands sending off little radio waves to his cells to pick up the slack and do their job already.

 _He's stamina is low…I can't continue to treat like this…_

 ** _You saw a plant by the ER front desk, right? I wonder if it's real._**

I slowly shut my eyes.

 _Is it real…?_

Sure enough, a few paces behind me I could sense an organic mass. I opened my eyes as the light from the plant floated over to my hands and faded just as soon as it made contact to show the transaction was completed.

I backed-up wearily, still not fully understanding what I just did. A part of me was scared that I may have just used the last bit of energy this poor man had left and killed him, but another part of me felt it was the best course of action to take because his stamina was lowered from my previous treatment.

"Let's see if it worked!" the Yume cheerfully said to me as she unwrapped the man's arms. "Huh?"

"D-Did I do something wrong?"

"No…it's just…he's completely healed." She quickly felt for a pulse, relieved to have found one, she then sent me to an exam room for her to give me a check-up.

"I don't understand what's going on," I told her after she was handed a paper from a nurse.

The nurse bowed and left the room. "That man we saw earlier-"

"D-Did I do something to him?" I asked, my hands beginning to tremble.

"No! Well…you did do something to him…we just don't know what. His stamina definitely lowered when you treated him and there was no way you could have healed him to the extent that you did in the state he was in."

"…what are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying…Asano-chan, is there more to your quirk than you're telling us?"

"I'm not following…"

"Sometimes a quirk can serve more than just one function. If you train your quirk enough you will start to see more possibilities to grow and sometimes you may even see that your quirk was something different than you original thought it to be."

"So…I don't have a recovery quirk?"

"No, you do have one, but it seems to have evolved more than what we were told on your transcript."

Before we could continue our discussion, someone ran into the room and told Yume about an incident in Hosu. Hosu General Hospital was requesting additional aid from Kofu General Hospital since it was the closest Fujiwara allianced hospital.

I was brought alongside eight doctors and ten nurses in a private jet. I was nervous, but Yume personally asked for me to come along. She said I could prove to be useful, but if I were to treat patients who looked human then I would be useless. Everyone was aware of that, but didn't question her.

It wasn't long before we landed in a park nearby the hospital in Hosu. I checked my phone to see what time it was, but I was met with a new message from Midoriya.

With furrowed brows, I opened it and an alert popped up claiming my phone couldn't support the message.

 _Did he send me a file?_

"Midoriya-kun, what is this? I can't see it."

Something about his message felt ominous and the feeling only grew as a minute passed.

 ** _Maybe he sent it to others too? It could be chain mail._**

 _Let's message Todoroki-kun._

"Todoroki-kun, did you get a weird message from Midoriya-kun? I don't think my phone can support whatever it is he sent."

Less than a few seconds passed before I received a response that made my blood go cold just as I got off the jet. _"Hosu Ekou Street, District 4. SOS."_

"Asano-chan?" Yume called out. "Where are you going?"

"My friends are in trouble!" I shouted, running off. I didn't know where Ekou Street, District Four was, but I couldn't let that stop me. I caught sight of a bunch of pro heroes righting off strange creatures. The destruction and injured were displeasing to look at, but I couldn't let that distract me. "Where is District Four?" I asked a pro hero on a stretcher. They directed me through their own pain and as a token of my appreciation I gave him a few gummies I had brought with me to start his healing process.

I ran off again, this time picking up my speed despite how my sides began to cramp.

 _Where… Where are they?!_

 ** _Calm down! If they were in trouble we would have heard or seen something out in the open. Try looking down the alleyways._**

 _You're right…_

Before long I heard a familiar voice talking.

 _Todoroki-kun?_

I quickly skidded to a stop and looked off to the side to see the light from Todoroki's left side and the ice he had out in the alley. He was fighting someone and from what I could see, there were at least three people on the floor.

I didn't have time to think. I needed to act now.

But if only I had thought things through. Would anything have ended any differently?

"Todoroki-kun!" I shouted, shoving him off to the side in time for him to avoid a thrown knife.

"Asano!" he shouted as I fell on top of him. "Your shoulder!"

I gritted my teeth, quickly pulling myself off him to get a good look at the sharp pain in my shoulder. My eyes widened in disbelief at the knife wedge deep into my shoulder blade.

 _It hurts…_

"You're…from class 1-B…," a boy on the ground I recognized to be Iida said. "Why…"

"Someone new came to join?" a deep voice asked. I looked up through pained eyes to see a man who hid himself behind cloths and scars. "What can you do?" He charged at me with his sword, but Todoroki came to my defense.

"Get away from her!" he shouted, his ice pushing the villain back while I gripped the handle of the knife with my opposing hand.

"It hurts, it hurts," I said over and over through gritted teeth and teary eyes as I tried to pull out the knife.

"Haru-chan!" I heard Midoriya's voice shouting continuously as my head started to feel light.

"Ahhh!" I said, finally getting the knife out of my shoulder.

"Dammit," Todoroki cursed, pulling me to his side with his right arm. "How bad are you bleeding?"

"I-I'll be fine," I manage to spit out.

"Like hell you are!"

"T-Trust me. I-I heal fast."

Perhaps remembering my specialty was healing had calmed him enough to focus more on battling, but the opponent in front of us seemed more intrigued about me.

"Your eyes…," he said, cutting down one of Todoroki's ice columns. "Those are the eyes of someone who has seen the truth."

"What are you talking about?" Todoroki asked.

"The girl of course," he said, charging forward once again.

"Get down!" Todoroki shouted at me, pushing me down by my head as he was knocked back by the impact of the villain destroying his ice just as he summoned it.

"Haru-chan!" Midoriya shouted once again from his spot on the ground. "Get out of there!"

Before I could register anything, I was face to face with the villain, a blade pressed ever so lightly to my neck.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked me as I shook my head, too frozen in shock to even cry and plead for my life. "My name is Stain… I'm known as the Hero Killer."

 _Stain…_

I've heard that name come up from time to time in the news, but I've never paid much attention to it.

"I am here to purge the world of false heroes."

 _False….heroes?_

"Those who dare to claim the name of a hero while continuously reaching for compensation do not deserve to live."

My eyes widened and his sick grin grew. "You know what I'm talking about. I can see it in your eyes. Humans are more honest when faced with death. You're lacking in your conviction, though."

 _Conviction? What…does that have to do-_

He leaned over to whisper in my ear, "Without conviction, you will die. I do applaud your tenacity for coming here when your friends needed help, but you can't even help yourself."

"L-Let me go…," I managed to breathe out.

"Seeing the problem is only the beginning. I'm curious to see how you will fare from here on out. What path will you both take?" he whispered.

"Leave her alone!" Midoriya shouted.

"LET ME GO!" I shouted, letting the blade graze my neck as I grabbed his wrist with the both of my hands and twisted it enough for him to loosen his grip on the sword. He pulled out a dagger in his free hand to get me off him, but I reached out and blocked his attack with my arm. "AAAHHH!"

The pain was almost unbearable as his blade nearly went halfway through my arm. I could feel my arm going limp from the severed nerves.

I heard my name being called out, but it was becoming too far for me to hear.

* * *

 **Todoroki's POV-**

Before I could register what was going on, Asano went from being a hostage, to fighting back only to nearly get her arm cut off, to almost completely healed with Stain as far from her as he could get.

He looked obviously weakened, but from what I saw Asano did nothing. Could there be someone else watching over us from the shadows? "Asano, get back!"

Dazed, she quickly snapped out of it and ran back to my side.

 _She wasn't kidding when she said she was a fast healer._

"Asano, can you look after those three while I hold Stain off till more pro heroes come," I asked.

She nodded and went first to Midoriya.

"Midoriya-kun!" she said.

"Y-You're alright?" he asked in just as much disbelief as I had.

"I'm still hurt, but they're not as bad as before…," she said, almost not believing it herself. "It's not much but I have my recovery gummies on me. "I'll give a few to everyone."

"Why…are you three doing this? I've inherited my brother's name. I have to do it…! That guy's mine…!" Iida said.

"You inherited it? That's strange," I said, defending the four behind me with my left and right side in sequence. "The Ingenium I saw before didn't have that look on his face, though. You've got a lot going on behind the scenes in your family too, huh?"

"T-Todoroki-kun," Midoriya said as Asano helped him up into a sitting position.

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

"To block your own view against an opponent faster than you… What a foolish plan," Stain said.

"I wonder about that," Todoroki responded, bringing out his flames once again.

I noticed something flying at him from above. "Todoroki-kun! Watch-"

He was hit in the arm with two knives.

"You're both pretty good though," Stain said, referring to Todoroki and myself.

I felt Midoriya move in my arms just as Stain aimed for the pro hero Native. In a flash Midoriya was up against Stain, dragging him against the wall of the alley.

"Midoriya!" Todoroki shouted.

"Midoriya-kun!"

"I can move normally for some reason now!" Midoriya reported.

 _He couldn't move before? I thought he was just badly injured._

"A time limit?" Todoroki questioned.

"No, that kid should've been the last one he got," Native said. "I can't move yet."

"Get back, Midoriya!" Todoroki shouted while I fed Native a few gummies to heal some of his injuries. Midoriya dodged Todoroki's ice and made his way back over to us.

"He takes in a person's blood to keep them from moving. Since I got free first…I can think of three possible reasons. It could be less effective with more people, the amount ingested could affect how long it works, or there could be a difference in effectiveness based on a person's blood type!" Midoriya reasoned.

 _A quirk that paralyzes a person when they consume their blood?_

"Blood type…? Mine is B…," Native said.

"I'm type A," Iida said.

"Blood type? That's correct," Stain said.

 _What kind of villain reveals his quirk's secrets like that?!_

"I can't really do anything just by knowing his quirk though," Midoriya said after I patched Native's injuries with the bandages I had in my backpack as best as I could under the circumstances. I stood opposite of Midoriya beside Todoroki.

 _Won't he be at risk for aids or something by ingesting all that blood?_

"I wanted to hurry up and carry those two out of here, but he can react so fast, he can avoid ice and fire, Todoroki stated. "I can't leave myself that open and Asano can't lift either of them. I think our best option is to hold on by avoid close combat until the pros get here."

"Todoroki-kun…Asano-chan…you've both already shed too much blood. I'll distract him. Todoroki-kun, support me from behind while Asano-chan watches over Native and Iida-kun."

"That's a pretty big risk, but yeah…the three of us will protect them!"

"Be careful, Midoriya-kun," I told him to which he nodded.

"Two against one, huh? It won't be easy."

I backed up and pulled Iida and Native closer together.

 _I can't get to Iida-san's wounds with his armor in the way. I can't take off his armor either on the off chance the Hero Killer will be able to get past both Midoriya-kun and Todoroki-kun…_

"Dammit," I cursed, hating myself for my irrational fear of using my quirk on others. "Iida-san, please take these. They won't be able to do much, but it's better than letting your wounds fester."

"…why are you helping me?" he asked, following my request as I fed him.

"…Midoriya-kun was in trouble…so I came… I didn't know the details, but…" I turned to look at the battle where Midoriya was jumping off the walls and Todoroki was firing off his ice and fire to keep Stain away from Midoriya. "…even if they weren't here…if I walked by and saw you hurt… I can't just stand by when I can help…" I laughed almost pathetically, taking one of Iida's hands in mine. "…but I forget sometimes that I can't do what others can…" I gave him a pained smile and tightened my grip on his hand. "We'll all make it out of here…so just hold on till then."

"You're…shaking…"

"Todoroki-kun and Midoriya-kun are doing their best, so we need to give it our all too." Smiling despite the pain, fear, and confusion was something All Might always did. He smiled to make sure people knew everything was okay, so they could feel at peace as if the situation was under control.

"Stop it already…I'm…already…," Iida pleaded, tears and sweat running down his face.

"If you want us to stop, then stand up!" Todoroki shouted.

"Midoriya-kun!" I shouted, when Stain licked his blood off his blade. I wanted to run over to him and tell him everything would be okay. I wanted to heal his wound, but if I ran out there right now I might die.

"Look properly at what you want to be!" Todoroki shouted as I released Iida's hand to stand beside Todoroki as if I could do something to help.

"Todoroki-kun…can you distract him while I check on Midoriya-kun?" I requested. "…I'll…be alright."

"…stay low," he told me as I ran towards Midoriya, ducking and dodging Todoroki's attacks.

I slid on my knees to his side. "Did he cut you deeply?"

"N-No, I-I'm fine…," Midoriya struggled to say while I wrapped his leg where the cut was. "Thanks…"

"I'll try to-" I turned around to see why Midoriya's face darkened to see Stain's katana about to slice off Todoroki's arm.

"Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya and I shouted simultaneously.

"Recipro…burst!" Iida shouted after regaining control of his body. He was able to break Stain's katana and save Todoroki.

"This has nothing to do with you three…," Iida said.

"You're still saying that…," Midoriya replied.

"That's why I can't allow you all to bleed more than this!" Iida stated.

"It's no use trying to be reformed for appearance's sake. A person's essence does not change so easily. You will never be anything but a fake who prioritized his own selfish desires. You are a cancer to society that warps the idea of heroes. Someone must set you straight."

"You're an anachronistic fundamentalist," Todoroki stated. "Iida, don't listen to the logic of a murderer."

"No, he's right… I have no right to call myself a hero… Even so…I cannot give in. If I give in, then Ingenium will die!"

"Out of the question!" Stain said as the battled continued on.

 _Come on. Come on, what can I do? What can I do to help?_

"Ah! I can move," Midoriya was able to say as I helped him to stand.

"Sorry…the cut is deeper than I can treat right now…," I apologized, seeing the blood stain through the bandages and drip down. "I tried to apply pressure by wrapping them…but it won't hold for long…"

"This is fine…," Midoriya said as a red and green light surrounded his body. I backed away from him to give him room as he jumped into the air.

 _Midoriya-kun…has changed since I last saw him fight…_

"Everyone is…" I fell to my knees once Stain was immobilized. "…amazing…"

"He's probably knocked out after all of that…right?" Midoriya asked while I sat on the ground in disbelief.

"Then, let's restrain him and get out to the street," Todoroki said. "Is there anything to tie him up with? Asano's bandages would be too flimsy."

I shook my head and pulled myself together to join the group.

"Just in case, let's take all his weapons off him," Midoriya said as I crouched beside Iida.

"Iida-san, is it alright if I remove your armor on your injured arm? It's not much but stopping the blood flow from your injury could go a long way in preserving function of your arm…if you think about the worst-case scenario."

"S-Sure…"

While Midoriya and Todoroki worked on Stain, I did my best to wrap up Iida's arm, but it didn't look good. Once I finished I put his armor back over his arm and we all got up to leave. The effects of Stain's quirk wore off Native and with Midoriya's leg the way it was, Native had to carry him.

They discussed the end result of the battle until we exited the alleyway where we were met with an old man kicking Midoriya in the face.

"This is the hero I'm interning with, Gran Torino…but why?" Midoriya asked, dumbfounded.

"I was told to come here all of a sudden," the old man fumed. "Well, I don't really know what's going on, but I'm glad you're okay."

"Gran Torino… I'm sorry."

More pro heroes joined us and called an ambulance to come get us.

"You were all injured because of me," Iida said, bowing to Todoroki, Midoriya, and I. "I am truly sorry. I couldn't…see anything…through my anger…"

"I'm sorry too…even though you were feeling so cornered, I didn't notice at all," Midoriya apologized. "Even though we're friends…"

"Pull yourself together. You're the class rep, right?" Todoroki said while I could only give Iida a sad smile.

It all happened so fast. Gran Torino warned us, but no one could react in time. No one could stop a strange flying creature from grabbing Midoriya, a boy who was standing just beside me.

"This society overgrown with fake heroes…and the criminals who wave their power around idly," Stain said, breaking free of his restraints to take down the creature. "…should all be purged. This is all…to create a more just society."

"Midoriya-kun!" I shouted, trying to run to him, but a pro hero held me back. "Let me go!"

"It's too dangerous!" the pro shouted at me just as Endeavor appeared.

 _Endeavor…I've never seen him so close…_

"Hero Killer!" Endeavor happily said, ready to attack despite Stain's hold on Midoriya.

 _What is he doing?_

"Wait, Todoroki!" Gran Torino shouted, catching me by surprise.

"T-Todoroki?!" I questioned, looking between the hero and the hero-in-training.

 _I-Is…What?!_

I turned my attention back to Stain, who released Midoriya as his mask fell.

"You fake… I must make things right…," I flinched alongside everyone else who could feel the killing intent radiating off Stain. "Someone must be dyed in blood…I must take back what it means to be a hero! Come! Try and get me, you fakes! The only one I'll let kill me is the true hero…All Might!"

I couldn't tell if it was just me, but I could see a dark aura radiating from Stain stronger from before. This was the conviction he was speaking of, and it seemed to scare everyone. I was afraid too, but I can't lie. I understood everything he was saying, only I didn't agree with his purge.

Throwing myself out there in the face of death. I've done it before just a while ago.

I can do it again.

I broke free from the hero holding me captive as they were stricken in fear. No one went after me as I ran towards Stain. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest as I took in his situation, trying to look through his aura.

He was badly injured. It's a surprise he is able to still keep himself up and moving. Before I could reach him, he had stopped moving and his knife slipped from his fingers to the floor.

I slowed down to cautiously walk towards him. His eyes rolled back to reveal the whites of the balls. I carefully reached over and felt the side of his neck for a pulse. "Ah…! H-He's…unconscious!"

 _And somehow still standing his ground!_

Everyone calmed down, some falling back onto their butts.

"Let me help!" I said once we arrived at the hospital.

Yume was watching over my treatment as I was pushed on the gurney. "Tch, are you kidding?! Not only did you run away without a proper explanation, but you went and put yourself in danger! If you got killed how do you think your friends would feel the-"

"S-Sorry…," I cried, clenching my teeth and fists as I tried to fight back the tears. "…sorry…I want to get stronger…so I can help everyone…"

"Asano…chan…"

"I-I'll be a-alright so…," I looked up her. "P-Please treat the others before me!"

I walked into the boys' room with the pro hero Manual and Gran Torino. I was dressed in a pale pink dress shirt, a gray pencil skirt, my brown combat boots, and a white lab coat. There was a lanyard around my neck with an ID card that showed which hospital I belonged to. I had my hair tied up in a high ponytail and a clipboard pressed to my chest.

Hosu's chief of police, Tsuragamae Kenji, entered in later than us for dramatic effect. He wanted to speak to the boys about the incident after speaking to me prior on it.

During Tsuragamae's debrief of the situation, Todoroki cut him off to point out the flaws in the rules. I could see the flaws in both arguments, but the conversation will lead nowhere if we pointed out what ifs.

There was more to this conversation than a restatement of the rules of society—their options. Take the fame of capturing Stain and risk a grave punishment or give Endeavor the credit and remain nameless.

I wanted to stay and talk with the boys, but I was called by Yume through the pager I was given. I took my leave before being able to properly greet the boys and came into an office temporarily given to the doctors from Kofu.

"I'm here-" I stopped, my eyes trailing from Yume to Endeavor. "Sorry, was I interrupting something?"

"No…Endeavor requested to speak with you privately," Yume explained, stepping out of the room.

I wearily sat across from Endeavor. "To what do I owe this…honor?"

"…what is your name. I recognize you from the sports festival."

 _You don't even remember someone you gave a draft to?_

"Asano Haruka," I replied.

"Haruka…," he repeated, making the hair behind my neck stand. I wanted to leave. I didn't want to talk to the perfect example of heroes I so deeply despise.

 _How could Todoroki-kun be related to someone…someone like him?_

"Sorry for calling you out of nowhere. You reminded me a lot of someone I knew when Shoto was still a child."

"Someone you knew?"

"Granted I've met her only once in person, I was given a photo of her before negotiations."

"Sorry, I'm not following… I've never met Todoroki-kun until just a month or so ago."

"Hm… It seems too perfect if you have met before."

"What?"

"Your hair color, eye color, and even skin color match a young girl who was said to be blessed with an extraordinary quirk, but she died at the age of five."

"T-That's terrible," I responded. "H-How?"

"I don't know the details, but she was betrothed to Shoto."

I gasped, losing my composure. "So are you trying to tell me that after having a quirk marriage yourself, you pushed one on your son?"

"It was all for Shot-"

"No, it wasn't. Don't you dare say you did it for him! I may not know you personally, but I have a pretty good idea of what kind of hero you are." I stood up, my hands clenched at my sides. "You're arrogant, selfish, greedy, and obsessed with outshining All Might."

"Watch your mouth girl!"

"I will not watch my mouth when speaking with you!" I shouted back at him. "You have not earned my respect and I do not expect that I have earned yours after this."

I made my way towards the door. I gave him one last look over my shoulder. He was seething, but he couldn't wreak havoc in a hospital.

"Good day…Endeavor."

I left the room, fuming about the hospital, trying to blow off steam.

 _I can't stand him! Now that I've spoken to him in person, I've consolidated my anger towards people like him. It doesn't matter if you end up saving lives in the end if your morals are all fucked up! If the government ever stopped compensating for heroic efforts, would that mean more lives would be in danger?_

 ** _Listen to yourself. This was what that crazy guy was talking about. You can see the truth._**

 _What?_

 ** _You can see what's wrong with society just like him. People idolize heroes who aren't in it for the right reasons._**

 _Don't you dare compare me to that villain!_

 ** _You can't say I'm wrong. You both see the falsehood in modern heroics, but he looked for solutions that left blood on his hands. Remember he said he was curious what kind of path you would take._**

 _AH! He said both…I remember it. He couldn't have been referring to Midoriya-kun or Todoroki-kun…he could have used a word that didn't imply two people… You don't think he could sense your presence, right Mizuki?_

 ** _…there were times when he was looking at you that I thought he was looking at me. It's strange to say since all my senses are tied to yours._**

 _I got that feeling too…like he was looking inside of me… He kept saying my eyes told him everything… Before when I was trying to get away from him…something happened. I don't quite understand what happened, but it was enough to spook him. Oddly enough, my injuries healed after that. I know my body can regenerate faster than the average person, but that was-_

"Haru-chan?" I looked up to see a concerned Midoriya with a crutch under his arm.

"Midoriya-kun," I replied, giving him my full attention.

"You left in a hurry earlier so we didn't get a chance to talk."

"Sorry, I was called in to…speak with someone rather unpleasant."

"I was replying back to my friends in class 1-A. They were worried since I just sent them my location out of nowhere. I even replied to your message… I guess your phone doesn't have location sharing programed into it."

"Ah, my phone…I sort of…" I shyly twirled the end of my pony tail over my shoulder with one hand. "Broke it."

"Broke it? How?!"

"It must have fallen out of my pocket when Stain attacked me," I replied. "It was broken in half and the screen even got cracked."

"That's right! How is your arm? Your shoulder?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine," I responded modestly. "You, Todoroki-kun, and Iida-san suffered more than I did…sorry I ended up just getting in the way most of the time…" I unconsciously grabbed my right shoulder and left arm. Midoriya looked like he wanted to say something in retaliation, but I stopped him by taking ahold of his free wrist. "Let's go see the others."

We walked in to be met with a solemn atmosphere.

"Iida just finished getting examined," Todoroki explained.

"My left hand might have long-term damage…," Iida stated as my smile fell into a frown. "Both of my arms were pretty beat up, but it looks like the damage to my left arm was especially severe. There was damage to my brachial plexus. That just means I'll have trouble moving my hand and fingers, and experience some numbness. Apparently, there's a possibility that it can be healed with nerve transplant surgery."

"Iida-san…," I mumbled, nodding my head in agreement that that would be the only course of action to repair his hand.

"When I found the hero killer, I stopped being able to think. The first thing I should've done was tell Manual, but I forgot myself in my anger. I hate him, but he spoke the truth. That's why…until I become a true hero, I think I want to leave my left hand as it is."

I wanted to convince him to take the treatment as soon as possible rather than put a hold on it, but from the look on his face I could tell his mind was made up.

"Iida-kun, I feel the same way," Midoriya said, taking me by surprise.

 _What could he me-_

He held up his scarred right hand and balled it into a fist. "Let's get stronger together."

I couldn't help but be reminded yet again that I was a failure. It was my fault that Midoriya's hand became crooked and it was my fault that I couldn't properly treat Iida in time to save his arm. The wounds they wore as a source of encouragement were what reminded me that I was in no shape to help anyone.

"I feel kind of bad…," Todoroki started, breaking everyone away from their train of thought. "I feel like if I get involved…other people mess up their hands… Is it a curse?"

The three of us couldn't help but laugh at how serious Todoroki's face was as he said this.

"I didn't know you could make jokes!" Midoriya laughed.

"No, I'm not joking. I'm like The Hand Crusher or something," Todoroki said causing me to fall into one of the open hospital beds laughing and clutching my stomach.

"The Hand Crusher!" Iida and Midoriya repeated.

"I-Is that your h-hero name or s-something?" I laughed.

* * *

 **Midoriya's POV-**

It's been two days since the Hosu incident and five days since we started our internships. Since my injuries from Stain were not fully healed yet, I was stuck in a hospital bed.

On the news, the hero killer was the talk of the town. When seven pro heroes and four high school students came across the hero killer, Endeavor rushed over and took care of the situation. That was the official story released by the police. Just as the person from the police said: Iida, Todoroki, Haru, and my name were not made public, and our injures were explained away as accidents that happened during our internships.

The night Iida got the results of the examination of his injured arms, he went back with his mom to his parents' house.

As for Todoroki, who sustained relatively light injuries, he returned back to his internship with Endeavor.

Haru, who initially wanted to stay for my sake, decided to depart last night for Kofu to finish her internship.

I'm sure everyone else in class 1-A was working hard right now at their internships.

* * *

 **Haru's POV-**

"That's why…if you can manipulate dreams, then…is it possible to pull out buried memories?" I asked Yume after explaining to her my irrational fear of using my quirk.

"…it's certainly possible…but I wouldn't recommend it," she replied wearily. "Neither of us know what triggered this fear, but if it's dangerous…pulling out the memory could leave you with brain damage or worse your heart could stop from shock."

I shook my head. "My body can regenerate faster than the average person, so I'm not worried about brain damage…now my heart…I'm sure that's something the doctors here could help manage."

"…I don't like this idea…but…"

"Please…I can't stay the way I am now… What's the point in having a quirk if I can't use it to help the people I care about?"

Yume furrowed her brows and gripped the bridge of her nose, trying to wrap her head around this situation. "I'll see what I can do…I'll talk to a few of my colleagues…"

"Thank you!" I shouted, bowing my head.

"I'm not guaranteeing anything," she snapped at me. "However…if we do this…it'll probably have to be during the night shift…"

A few hours later Yume told me in passing where to meet tonight while I was going on rounds with another doctor.

I was nervous and wanted to talk to someone about it, but the only person I could talk to was Mizuki and all she did was taunt me about everything that could go wrong during the procedure. I never got around to buying a new phone, so I couldn't message or call anyone. The only number I had memorized was my uncle's, but I wasn't about to call him and tell him I would be undergoing a risky procedure all for the sake of getting over my fears.

Knowing him he could forbid it and I told Yume I had my guardian's permission. It was a small lie that will hopefully be worth it in a couple of hours.

No one likes revealing their weaknesses and yet that's all I've been doing lately.

A few hours later I was in a hospital gown with my hair tucked away in a surgical hat. Yume helped me onto the bed I would asleep in as five doctors came in with four nurses. All the doctors Yume trusted to help with this were also all the doctors I have come to learn under so far.

"Asano-chan, we will put you asleep soon, but first I need to talk you through what's going to happen." I nodded. "Right now…"

She explained how my vitals would be monitored, who was in charge of what, and how I would be given a dosage of anesthesia strong enough to knock me out into a deep enough state of mind for her to come in. Yume said that once I lost consciousness she would be there with me to pull at the memory.

"If it becomes too dangerous, I will not hesitate to wake you up," she told me to which I nodded understandingly. "Are you ready?"

I held my shaking hands together, resting them on my stomach as a nurse came with the gas mask. I took a deep breath before signaling I was ready.

 _This is now or never…_

In no time I fell fast asleep. All I could see was darkness.

"Asano-chan, can you hear me?"

"Yes!"

"I'm going to look for the memory now. Do you have any idea how far back it could be?"

"…I've been like this for as long as I could remember…probably…elementary school."

"You don't have a general idea of what it was about?"

"No…"

"Even just a hunch or a feeling could be helpful in finding it."

"…at times I feel like I'm a bad person… I did something to hurt someone…and I couldn't save them…"

"That could be anything…a little more specific."

I tried to think harder. "Losing control…I lost control of my quirk…and something bad happened… Sorry. I don't know much else… I-I think I went beyond someone's stamina limit with my quirk… I know I had to transfer a couple times throughout elementary school…but that was because of bullying…"

"The stronger the memory, the brighter it shines. Now if I look for the time frame you described… What?"

"Did something happen?"

"No… Just give me a minute."

* * *

 **Todoroki's POV-**

"Tell me, how good is that friend of yours' quirk?" my father asked me while we were patrolling the streets.

 _Is he talking about Asano?_

I ignored him as we walked.

"She reminds me a lot of your late-betrothed, except she has no sense of respect or manners," he muttered. "It looked like she was trying to pick a fight with me. She doesn't fully grasp just who she was talking to."

I stopped walking and turned to him. "Is that why you sent a request to her after the sports festival…? Because she looks like a dead girl?"

"Is it wrong of me if I did? If I had to picture what she would have looked like…had she grown up, Asano Haruka would be that image. You can't blame me for being skeptical if she really died. Their first names are practically the same and their quirks are both recovery-based."

I balled my fists at my sides. "Asano has nothing to do with this! How would you explain her upbringing? Her parents?"

My father put a hand up to his chin in thought. "Someone raised in the Fujiwara clan would never be so brazen if they didn't have anything to show for it. Asano is weak. She couldn't even properly heal you, who had the least amount of injuries."

I didn't fully understand how her quirk operated, but surely it was more complicated than my father made it out to be. There had to be a reason she was at U.A. where the top of the top learn to hone their skills.


End file.
